Sight's Journey
by Twilight016
Summary: Melissa exists to help Harry defeat Voldemort. But no one is allowed to know. Yet, she can't keep the secret from her inquisitive best friend Cedric, which sets off consequences even she can't foresee. In the end, will she do more harm than good? SlightAU
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. I created Melissa. (Note: I made up where she lives).**

Melissa nervously trailed behind Mrs. Victoria Taylor in the busy train station. Victoria had been asked to escort her to the train station, as she knew where to go because her brother had attended the same school. Victoria glanced over her shoulder and gave a warm, encouraging smile to Melissa, who struggled to return it. Melissa thought that Victoria was very pretty. She had green eyes that reminded people of spring and long golden hair. Her face was very soft and kind. The freckles splashed across her nose were even pretty, which was not something many people were blessed with. None of the children knew why she had come to the orphanage, but they were glad she had. She was smart, pretty, and kind; she was the opposite of all the other ladies at the orphanage. Victoria abruptly stopped ten feet away from a column between platforms nine and ten, causing Melissa, who had been lost in her thoughts, to bump into her.

"Sorry," she mumbled, blushing from embarrassment.

"It's ok. Now, I want you to run this cart straight through that pillar. Don't worry," she added at Melissa's shocked and confused look, "you won't hit the wall. You'll go through it. I can't come with, but there will be someone to help you with your things. You ready?"

Melissa remained silent, doubting herself. She was not sure she should go. What if she was not a witch? What if they sent her back? What if she could not make any friends? Victoria, sensing her worry, crouched down so that she was at eye level with the scared eleven year old.

"Mel, you'll be fine. These people, they don't make mistakes. You _are_ special. I've seen what you can do, even if it wasn't intentional. You'll do great," Victoria said gently.

"I'm scared," the little girl whispered.

"I know, but I also know that you can do this. You're going to be great; and if you're ever homesick, you can write to me and the other children, ok?"

Mel nodded, now wearing a small smile.

"Good. Now hurry up. You don't want to miss the train."

Victoria gave her a quick hug and wished her luck. Taking a deep breath, Melissa ran toward the pillar…and straight through it. Once on the other side, she saw a gleaming scarlet train surrounded by steam and families send their children off. After a minute of looking around, she followed a family to where trunks were being loaded. A man in a uniform helped her put her trunk on the train. Once free of her luggage, she hurried on to find a seat. She passed many children: Some saying good-bye to their families, and others talking excitedly to one another. Finally, she found an empty compartment and slid inside, shutting the door behind her.

She sat in a seat next to the window, and watched the people on the platform. She was sad looking at them, wishing she had a family to wave good-bye to, or at least that the kids from the orphanage could have been there to see her off. But that could never happen. Only Victoria was allowed to know where she was really going. And though she was excited and happy that the weird and random things she could were finally explained and that she would be learning about magic, she felt extremely isolated from the people she had been close to her whole life. She fiddled with the hem of her skirt. Victoria had had her wear her uniform minus the robe, which had her wand stored in the inside pocket, to the station. Melissa had carried the robe, which now lay next to her, into the station. All of her other belongings were in the trunk. She did not have much: it was mostly her new school supplies, some muggle clothes, a few of her favorite books, and a photo album of everyone from the orphanage.

"Mind if we join you?"

Melissa's head shot up surprised by the sudden appearance of four boys outside her compartment. She had not even heard the door open. The boy that had asked stood in front of the others, who she could not see clearly. He had dark brown hair and grey eyes. His skin was pale, but not in an unhealthy way. He looked happy and well cared for. She nodded quickly and returned to looking out the window, too embarrassed to say anything. The boys tramped inside, the one that had spoken sitting across from her.

"Hi, I'm Cedric Diggory. Who are you?" the boy asked. His tone surprised her. He sounded genuinely interested. She was not used that when people talked to her. They were plenty nice, but it was rare that someone really cared, or pretended to.

"Melissa Evans," she said having to raise her voice so that he could hear her over the two loud redheads in the corner.

"Are you a first year?"

"Yes."

"So are we," he said, beaming at her. "Which house do you want to be in?"

"I don't know…." she said, shrugging. The representative from the school had explained the houses to her, but she did not feel any attachment or desire to be in any. "Does it matter?"

The boys in the corner stopped arguing and turned to look at her, stunned by her answer.

"Does it matter? Of course it matters!" one of the redheads shouted, causing Melissa to blush. She noticed that he and the other redhead were actually twins. "You don't want to end up in Slytherin! All the dark wizards come out of there!"

"Cut it out guys," Cedric said, cutting off the other twin before he could interject his opinion. "Clearly, she's muggle born. Aren't you?" he asked, turning back to her, looking a little worried.

"Yes," she said quickly, blushing even more. She was not actually sure if she was or was not a muggle born. She had lived at the orphanage since she was a year old. No one had left a name, and no one could remember who had brought her there—not even if it was a man or a woman. She had had nothing her entire life: no knowledge of who her family was, no mementos, no money, nothing. That was until she had received her letter inviting her to attend Hogwarts. She now knew that one of her parents had to have been a witch or wizard, they had left her money at the wizard bank, Gringotts. And as it turns out, she actually had quite a bit of money. Not that really supplied her with any information. The fact that she had a vault was the only thing that had given her any real knowledge, and it was not even that much.

"See, you guys can't attack everyone over their house preferences," Cedric lectured. The twins glared back at him before returning to their argument. "That's Fred and George Weasley, by the way. And this—"

"Ryan Williams," the boy next to Cedric interjected, holding out his hand to her. She took it sheepishly, unnerved by his sudden outgoing demeanor. He was cute, and it was obvious that he would grow up handsome. He had golden blond hair and matching warm brown eyes. He had the beginnings of an athletic build, and his smile was already blush-inducing. "Don't worry about houses. The other three are all pretty good, most people's preferences are based on which house their parents were in. Besides, you seem too nice to be put in Slytherin."

She smiled and laughed nervously. The rest of the train ride passed smoothly. They told her everything they knew or had heard of Hogwarts. They also taught her about quidditch, a game blamed on broomsticks with magicked balls. The boys argued about their favorite teams and which one was the best. It all sounded very exciting. She could not wait to get there.

As the sun set and the sky darkened, Melissa's stomach begin to gurgle at her. She had not eat much for breakfast as she had been too nervous, and had refused the candy the boys had offered her, though she did not understand why she had refused now. They were only being nice, but she was so used to people offering her things out of pity that she was hesitant to accept anything from people. When they finally reached the platform, a loud and large man called all first years over to him. Melissa was sure that he was a giant. When she voiced her concern, Cedric chuckled and told her that giants were much bigger. Hagrid, the giant man, announced himself as the gatekeeper and led them all to boats that they were to take across the lake. Melissa, Cedric, and Ryan all shared a boat. Cedric had to help Melissa into the boat because her skirt was giving her trouble. A large tentacle knocked one of the boats near theirs around. Melissa squeaked, while the boys shouted about how cool it was. Once they reached the opposite side of the lake, they were led up a long flight of stairs to the castle. Melissa could not help but stare in awe. It was breathtaking and magical and…perfect.

A strict looking woman appeared in the entry and led them into the Great Hall. Melissa saw four tables full of older students and one at the top of the hall full of staff. In front of the staff table was a stool with an old black hat sitting on top of it. Melissa was surprised along with several other first years, when the hat began speaking. After it had finished its speech, they were called up alphabetically to be sorted. Melissa nervously waited with her peers, dreading to go up in front of the whole school and worrying about doing something stupid.

"Diggory, Cedric," Professor McGonagall called. Cedric gave her a small smile, and went to take his place on the stool.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The Hufflepuff table erupted in cheers as Cedric took his seat with them. After a few more names, hers was called.

"Evans, Melissa."

Timidly, she made her way to the stool, averting her eyes from the on-looking students and staff, and paying close attention to her steps. She was barely on the stool a second before the brim of the hat obscured her view.

"Hmm, interesting, very interesting," the hat mused. "You possess many qualities that would allow you do well in any house. However…you dislike the spotlight…hmm….HUFFLEPUFF!"

Smiling, she hopped off the stool and went over to her house's table. She sat next to Cedric, who was beaming at her. No longer suffering from nervous anticipation, Melissa was able to calmly watch the remaining students be sorted. Ryan joined them along with three other girls and three other boys. The Weasley twins were sorted into Gryffindor. When the sorting was over, the food magically appeared in front of them. Her stomach growling, Melissa piled food onto her plate and ate until her stomach was content. After the feast, a prefect led the sleepy first years to their dormitory. Cedric and Ryan bade her good night as they separated and went to their respective rooms. Melissa was grateful to see her trunk at the end of her bed. She changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed. The events of the day had exhausted her and she fell asleep quickly.

The next day was their first day of classes. Melissa enjoyed Herbology and History of Magic the most. She understood the theory in Charms and Transfiguration, but it took her most of the class to be able to properly cast the spells. Cedric, on the other hand, appeared to be a natural at everything. It quickly became apparent that Cedric and Melissa were very studious and the most advanced in their year. However, neither were showoffs and so their peers rarely got annoyed with them.

Melissa had made friends with two of the Hufflepuff girls: Angela Abbott and Lindsey Bones. They were both very kind and reasonably talented, and had not had a problem with her heritage, which had been bothersome to the two other girls she shared a room with, Tara Matthews and Julie Edwards. Angela and Lindsey had said not to listen to them and their pureblooded mania. They had said that skill was more important than blood. She was relieved that most people shared their opinion. It was mostly the Slytherins who were obsessed with blood status.

After the second day of classes, Melissa discovered her favorite class: Potions. Her friends thought she was odd for this, as most people hated the class because of Professor Snape. But Melissa did not mind Snape's attitude. She had experienced similar treatment from one of the older ladies at the orphanage. She had decided long ago not to let the attitudes of others affect her. She was able to ignore other people's negativity and continue with her work without becoming flustered. It was a very useful skill, especially in Potions class. She noticed that the directions for the potions did not always yield the correct result. When this would happen, she would experiment with the directions and ingredients. More often than not, her experiments would yield the correct result or a result closer to what it should be. Because of her success, Snape rarely had anything to say about her potions. Though he did not praise her efforts, he did not berate her either.

The first weekend of October Melissa attended her first quidditch match. It was just as exciting as it had sounded on the train. It was much more interesting and intense than any muggle sport she had ever seen. The game took place before they had had their flying lesson. After the match (in which Ravenclaw beat Slytherin), she and the other first years could not wait for their lesson so that they could have their own unofficial matches. Though she was excited for the lesson, Melissa was very unsure of herself once she was on the broom. However, she quickly adjusted and found out that she was quiet adapt at flying. All her successes had her wondering if her parents were just as talented. They would have to be for her to be so talented, right?

Soon it was December. With the snow blanketing the castle and grounds, Hogwarts looked like a Christmas Wonder Land both inside and out. Melissa loved the giant Christmas trees in the Great Hall, and could not help but giggle with the other first years when Peeves changed the Christmas carol lyrics that the armored knights were enchanted to sing. She was sad to leave, but also excited. She missed Victoria and her friends from the orphanage. She knew the little ones missed her too: They had been sending her drawings and poorly written letters all semester. She only had one friend her age there, April Travis, and she missed her terribly. They were like sisters. When Melissa was not helping with the little ones, she and April spent their time together, often helping in the kitchen or laundry. They did not mind the work. Their food was often better than the cook's and it saved the orphanage money so that they could buy the children clothes, books, toys, and other necessities.

"You excited to go home?" Angela asked. They were on the train back to King's Cross, the white countryside whipping past the window.

"Yes, I am. I love Christmas. Everyone's so happy and nice. I love making cookies and decorating with everyone; it's all so much fun," Melissa said, her voice slightly dreamy as she thought about it.

"Where do you live anyway? You never said," Lindsey asked, looking up from her new copy of _Witch Weekly_.

"I live about two hours outside of London. It's a small village in Kent called Rippling Creek," Melissa answered; careful not to say anything that would lead to awkward questions. She had still not told anyone that she was an orphan.

"You live so far away, it will be impossible for any of us to visit you!" Lindsey whined.

"That's ok. Break's only a couple weeks, we'll see each other soon enough," Melissa said, trying to hide her relief. She just was not ready for anyone to know yet. The ride back was fun, but over quickly. Cedric and Ryan joined them about halfway and they all walked onto the platform together. Melissa had only packed a duffle bag, deciding that she only needed her muggle clothes and wand. Cedric had done the same, saying he had plenty of things at home and did not need much, so they crossed through the barrier together, while the others went to get their things. Melissa immediately saw Victoria among the crowd and waved enthusiastically to her. Victoria smiled and waved back.

"Is that your mom?" Cedric asked, confused. Melissa looked nothing like the woman she was waving to.

"No, she's a…a family friend. She's spending Christmas with us, and volunteered to pick me and we would drive out together," Melissa lied quickly.

"Oh," he said, though he did not sound completely convinced. He spotted his parents and ran over to them shouting over his shoulder, "Happy Christmas!"

She waved to him as he did, and rushed over to Victoria, launching herself into Victoria's arms as she did, causing Victoria to laugh.

"I've missed you and everyone else so much!" Melissa exclaimed.

"We've missed you too. Is that all you brought?" Victoria asked, leading them to her car.

"Yes, I do not need all my school things for two weeks."

"No, probably not. Good thinking on your part. Which one of your friends was that?"

"Cedric Diggory," Melissa answered, crawling into the backseat. Victoria did not let tem sit in the front unless the car was full, she did not think it was safe. "How's April? I haven't heard from her in a while."

Melissa saw Victoria's face fall in the rearview mirror. She bit her lip in thought and worry spread across her face. "It happened a few weeks ago. April's grandmother came to get her. Apparently, she had no idea that April existed. Her daughter ran away from home when she was sixteen, and recently passed away from a serious illness. On her deathbed she confessed April's existence and location. After the funeral, April's grandmother showed up and adopted her. It happened so quickly; she must not have had time to tell you. I'm so sorry, Mel," Victoria explained quietly.

Melissa nodded, but could not say anything. She was sad and her heart hurt. She had lost her best friend, her sister really, and no one had told her. Not even said best friend. She felt abandoned. She did not have any other friends at the orphanage. The others were all older or younger than her. The older ones thought that she was a nuisance, and though the little ones liked her, she was more like an older sister to them than a friend. She took a few shaky breaths to calm herself, not wanting to cry. They passed the trip in silence with only the radio playing Christmas carols. By the time they arrived at the orphanage, Melissa was able to put on a brave face and be happy to see the little ones that rushed out to greet her.

"Mel's back! Mel's back!"

"I missed you!"

"I missed you more!"

Five four year olds ran at her, all trying to hug her at once. The sudden onslaught of attention made her smile and laugh. While they may not have been her best friend, they did love her. Could she really be so selfish as to expect more? She saw Sean, who was about two years older than her, follow the children out. He smiled at her in greeting and grabbed her bag out of the backseat.

"C'mon kids," he called over their din, "let her get inside before she freezes to death."

The kids quickly obeyed and dragged her into the living room. All of them telling her what had happened since she had been gone.

"I'll take this to your room," Sean said. Melissa mouthed a "thank you" at him as he rounded the corner. Melissa was treated to an hour of jumbled stories from her small friends of all that had happened since she had been gone. She honestly had not missed much, just April leaving and one of the older teen girls running away with her boyfriend. They asked her about school, and she told them as much as she could. She mostly talked about her new friends. When she finished, the children were begging her to invite them to visit. She told them that she would think about it.

Victoria poked her head in and said, "You five give Mel a break and go get washed up for dinner."

They all quickly ran to kitchen as they realized how hungry they were. Melissa slumped back her seat and closed her eyes, relieved to no longer being interrogated. She was now very tired form all the explaining and questioning.

"So, I guess you like your new school a lot then?"

Melissa's eyes shot open in surprise, and saw Sean standing a few feet from her. She could not remember seeing him come into the room. He must have slipped in when the children were bombarding her with questions. However, she was more surprised he was talking to her. Though they had grown up together, they had only ever spoken in passing. They had never sought each other out or initiated conversation unless absolutely necessary. Melissa could not remember why they had never been friends, it must have happened when they were very young.

"Yes, I do. I fit in there."

He nodded and sat down on the couch next to her. "They've missed you a lot. I don't think anyone realized how much help you and April were around here. They had me start helping April out a few weeks after you left. They'll probably have one of the older ones start helping when you leave," he said. His voice was soft as he talked, his face void of emotion. Melissa could not tell if he was resentful of the situation or not. "Must suck to have to work on your vacation."

"It's not work," she said defensively. "We're all the family each other has, and families take care of each other."

He snorted. "How can you be so naïve? We're not a family. We're just a bunch of kids that nobody wanted."

"It's all in how you look at things and what you make of a situation," she said, standing to go. She turned and looked him straight in the eye, her sudden mood change surprising him. "If you want to be unhappy and mope about how bad your life is, fine. But don't call those of us who choose to let the past go—a past none of us had any choice in—and make the best of our situation naïve."

Melissa stormed out of the room, breathing to calm herself as she did. She avoided Sean for the next few days. She hated it when the other children complained. All of them had been left her as infants. They had had no control in the matter. Their parents, whoever they were, bore all the responsibility for their predicament. But to dwell and be angry about something that had happened would not change it. In her opinion, it was better and healthier to move on. The ones that could were happier and did better in school and in social situations. The ones that could not ended up being angry all the time, which affected their interactions with others and their success in and out of the classroom.

Melissa did end up "working" over break. She supervised and entertained the children most days. They mostly played outside, did arts and crafts, and built forts around the orphanage. They did not really get presents at Christmas. Sometimes the staff bought them new clothes or bedding if it was needed. The children were allowed to make each other presents if they choose to, but nothing was required. Melissa had knitted the five younger kids a matching set of scarves and gloves. Each pair was a different color—the favorite color of the child's to be correct. They were delighted when they opened their package, probably just because they had something to open. They had all given her drawings, which she stored safely and put in her duffle bag to take back to Hogwarts. They celebrated New Year's with fireworks that year. It was a nice treat and they all loved it. Before she knew it, it was time for Melissa to return to school.

Victoria and the other ladies had decided to take everyone on a field to the London Zoo on the day that Melissa had to go back to school. Victoria drove her again, but this time Sean and two of the little girls were with them. Melissa sat in the backseat and entertained them during the long drive. When they arrived at the train station, Victoria had to forcefully remind the two girls to behave as they started crying and hanging on Melissa so that she could not go. She hugged them and Victoria each good-bye. Sean handed her bag, trying not to laugh at the antics of the two girls.

"Thanks," she said, taken off cared by his sudden show of open kindness. He rarely did anything to help anyone without being asked.

"Have fun at school."

She waved good-bye to them and hurried to her platform. She had just barely made it on the train before it pulled out of the station. She began walking down the train car, looking for her friends. She found Cedric sitting in a compartment in the next car. He looked up and smiled when he saw it was her.

She smiled back and asked, "How was your Christmas?"

"Good, same as always. You?"

"Same."

An awkward silence fell between them. Cedric stared at her, seeming to be deep in thought. Melissa, unnerved by his stare, shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Finally, she got fed up with his behavior.

"What?" she snapped.

"Why do you never talk about your home?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" she questioned back, trying to think of a good lie. "I've talked about my home."

"Only about where it is. You never talk about your parents or siblings, if you have any. I just think it's a bit odd that you don't is all," he said, his tone gentle and cautious. She knew he was trying not to upset her, and she was trying to not get angry with him. Another silence fell between them, each staring the other down.

"Because I don't," she said finally, sighing sadly.

"You don't what?" Cedric asked, confused and surprised by her sudden admission.

"I don't have a family. Well, not in the traditional sense anyway," she amended. "I live in an orphanage. I've been there my whole life. Some of the other kids there are the closest I have to a family."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Because I didn't want anyone's pity, and I was, I am, afraid that I'd lose my friends," she said quietly, avoiding his gaze.

"I'll always be your friend, Mel," he said softly, but warmly. "I don't care about your background and neither do the others. We're your friends for you who are, not where you came from."

She showed her happiness and thanks through a large smile because she found herself unable to say anything else. She had never experienced such quick acceptance before. The kids from her old school always acted odd after they found out she was an orphan. From that day on, Cedric's friendship was the one she valued most. Somehow she knew he would always be there for her and accept her.

By the end of the year, all her close friends knew that she was an orphan. However, just like Cedric, none of them seemed to care or be bothered by the fact. Lindsey had acted a little odd for a few days, but she quickly got over it. She was just afraid about saying anything that would be insensitive. They all promised to write to her over the summer. Angela and Cedric even said they would try to visit her as well. She finished her first year on a high note with good grades and amazing friends. She could hardly wait to return for her second year at Hogwarts.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. I created Melissa.**

The orphanage was extremely and eerily quiet that summer. There were only a few of them left. Two of the teenagers had turned eighteen while she had been at school, and were now out on their own. The orphanage did not force them out, but they had been ready to leave for a while. They had had jobs and living plans set up for months. In addition, a month before she had come home, two of the six year olds were adopted. Now it was only Mel, Sean, Becky, Lucas, and Marc. Needless to say, she and Sean had spent a lot of time together that summer—both alone and helping with the remaining children.

Sean constantly surprised Melissa. He was not at all what she had thought him to be, which was one of those kids that were just angry and broody all the time. Instead, he was almost the opposite (he did sometimes get quite broody. When he did, Melissa would avoid him until he was done.). He was actually very smart and kind. He spent a lot of time thinking and reading. He said this was because there was not much else to do in a house full of small children, but Melissa could tell that he loved learning and trying to think of new ways to do or view things. She appreciated this last trait the most. Of all the other orphans she had grown up with, only he shared her passion for learning. It was as if the others thought that being educated would not help them out of their situation. Melissa thought that was ridiculous. No, learning would not solve all their problems, but it did have the potential to help them get jobs, even if they were not the best in the world.

She had heard from her friends periodically. Most of her letters were from Angela or Cedric. Neither had been or would be able to visit her, but both had invited her to spend the holidays with them this year. She was currently thinking about if she wanted to go or not. She knew she would feel guilty leaving Sean and the others at Christmas. They were such a small number as it was, and what if more left between now and then? What if someone was left behind? Would it be selfish of her not to come home? She gave a frustrated sigh and decided to think about it later, like at Christmas. Right now she really needed to focus on finding her belongings.

Since April had been adopted, she did not have to share a room. So, because she did not have to worry about anyone else's space, her stuff had been thrown about the room throughout the course of the summer. At the moment, she was looking for her new Defense Against the Dark Arts book, which she had delivered to along with her other books as it was too far to drive (also, Victoria had not wanted her to be walking the streets of London alone). Finally, she found it wedged between her bed and the wall. She must have fallen asleep reading it one night and had dropped it. She yanked it out and threw it into her trunk. She searched the room and house once more before closing her trunk, her uniform already laid for her.

"You all packed?" Sean asked as she flopped down on the couch.

"Yep, all ready to go. I can't wait!" she exclaimed, excitement starting to build within her.

"So sorry we're not good enough for you," Sean sulked. Normally, she would have thought he was just teasing, but this time his voice was void of any playful tone. He was actually upset that she was going.

"It's not that! I love you guys. You're my family, remember?" she said apologetically. "I just really like school and want to see my friends. Besides, you're going away too."

Sean grimaced at the reminder. In the spring he had taken a test to be placed into higher classes. Apparently he had scored very well, and a bordering school had offered him a place there on a scholarship. Basically, he would have everything paid for him and be getting a great education. Melissa could not understand why he was not excited. He would finally be challenged and not bored in and out of the classroom.

"Why don't you want to go? You hate the school and the people here."

"Yeah, but there I have to deal with kids that come from money. They base everything on how rich your parents are!" he complained. She rolled her eyes at him. For as smart as he was, he could be rather dumb.

"I go through the same thing at my school, but ya know what? The people that are really worth knowing will care more about you than your pocketbook. Success is subjective. It depends on what you value. Where and how you want to succeed probably differs from theirs, or could be similar. Remember, it's all in how you look at things and what you make of them," she lectured.

He rolled his eyes and muttered, "Whatever."

She shook her head and sighed at him. They were never going to see eye to eye. He thought wealth meant power and success. And while she could not argue that those with more money did often have more power, she did not think having a lot of money was a sign of success. She thought success was based on what kind of person you were and the relationships you had with people you cared about. She got up to go to bed, knowing she had to be up early tomorrow.

"Have fun at school," he said begrudgingly.

"You too!" she called over her shoulder, flashing him a teasing smirk. He glared at her, but said nothing. She had to force herself not to laugh, lest she hurt his feelings. He could be annoyingly sensitive at times. Just to be safe, she looked around her room once more for anything she may have forgotten. After finding nothing, she crawled into bed, but she was too excited to fall asleep. Instead she looked out her window at the stars and made her pictures with them. She was not sure when she finally dozed off, but she felt like she had not slept at all when Victoria shook her awake at six the next morning.

"Come on, get up!" she commanded. "We can't afford to leave late."

Melissa forced herself out of her bed, only half awake. She struggled to put on her clothes in her zombie-like state, and Victoria ended up having to help her. After which, she admonished Melissa for staying up late and not getting enough sleep. They did end up leaving on time, but only because Melissa ate her breakfast in the car. Victoria was a little frazzled for the first half of their drive, but was back to her normal cheery self by the time the reached London. As usual, they said their good-byes at the car, and Melissa walked to the platform by herself. It was much less intimidating this time, now that she knew what she was doing.

"Mel!"

She turned and saw Cedric running toward her, beaming. She paused, waiting for him to reach her. He was out of breath when he did, but managed to pull her into a tight hug anyways. She laughed at his antics, glad to see him after the long summer.

"Cedric, you need to be careful! You almost ran into ten people!" a woman scolded. Mel saw a man and a woman—Cedric's parents—walking toward them. His father looked amused by his son's behavior, while his mother was a cross between annoyance and amusement. "You must be Melissa. Cedric's told us all about you," Mrs. Diggory said, holding out her hand. Melissa blushed and mumbled a "hello."

"Why don't I take her trunk and you go get them on the train," Mr. Diggory said to his wife. She nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, but I can take of it. You needn't trouble yourself," Melissa protested.

"Nonsense," he said, waving off her concerns. "It's my pleasure. Good luck at school, both of you!" he called back as he walked away with her trunk.

Mrs. Diggory rushed them onto the train, fretting over Cedric as she did. Only when his father reappeared and pulled his wife back were they able to go find a compartment. As the train pulled out of the station, they waved good-bye to his parents from their compartment.

"Where are the others?" Melissa asked.

"I don't know, they'll find us though. How was your summer?"

"Fine, very quiet. There's only five us left. Now with me and Sean off to school, there's only three left."

"Who's Sean?"

"He's one of the kids at the orphanage. He's two years older than us. He's been helping me with the little ones since April left. I wrote about him, didn't I?"

"No," he said, his voice funny.

Her second year passed in much the same fashion as her first year. Both she and Cedric continued to be the top in their class. Cedric also made the quidditch team; he was their new seeker. It was not until their third year, when Harry Potter came to Hogwarts, that things started to change. Mel started having very vivid, but vague dreams. She was able to ignore them until they started happening during the day. Once Cedric noticed, he forced her to go to see Madame Pomfrey. However Madame Pomfrey did not treat her after she heard what was wrong, all she did was sit Mel on one of the beds and asked to wait. Mel was very surprised when the Headmaster entered the Hospital Wing and sat on the bed next to hers.

"I understand that you've been experiencing some visions?" he asked, his light blue eyes twinkling behind his glasses. Though his eyes were kind, his penetrating stare unnerved her.

"Yes, sir," she said nervously.

"Do you remember what you've seen?"

"Yes."

"Would you mind telling me?"

"There's one where there's a room of fire. There are two people standing in the middle of the room and a mirror. One looks like a child and the other's an adult. The adult has two faces. Then it blurs and all I hear is screaming," she explained, her voice shakey.

"And the others?"

"They-they don't make a lot of sense. It could be the same one actually. I'm not sure," she said, her face screwed up in concentration as she tried to recall the vision. "There's a bright turquoise light and a confused feeling in one. In the other there's a violent green light, and a baby crying. That's all I can remember. Do you know what they mean, Professor? Or why I keep seeing these things?"

"I can only answer the second question, but I'm not sure if I should." He paused, deciding what he should divulge to the thirteen year old before him. "I'm afraid that at this time, it would be better for me to only answer part of that second question, and save the whole explanation for a later time."

"Ok," she said, happy to be getting any information.

"You are a Seer," he said. "It depends on the individual how one sees. In your case, it appears that you can see both past and future events. I believe you are taking Divination?"

"Yes, sir."

"I know Professor Trelawney does not appear to be a real Seer, but she is. I suggest that you continue your studies in that subject; it may help to hone your skills. I also suggest that you don't tell anyone about your gift. People often shun Seers because they fear the unknown. This fear leads to the belief that seeing into the future is unnatural."

She nodded her head in agreement. He dismissed her immediately, happy to see that the information had eased her mind. He knew she thought she had been going crazy. He sighed sadly, dreading the day he had to tell her the whole truth. There were two students at Hogwarts that did not know everything about their lives. But how do you tell two children that they will never be able to have a normal life?

"Is everything ok?" Cedric asked at dinner that night.

"Yeah, just a migraine. Madame Pomfrey gave me a potion," she lied. "She said that if it gets bad like that again I'm to come back to take more."

Cedric nodded his head, willing to accept whatever she told him. She felt guilty lying to him, even more so than Angela and Lindsey. What made it worse was that she wanted to tell him. She was sure she could trust him, but she was also afraid he would think she was a freak. It was first year all over again.

The rest of the year past by though it was far from uneventful. A troll broke into the castle at Halloween; Harry Potter and two other Gryffindor first years defeated it. Potter also made the Gryffindor quidditch team—the youngest player to do so in a century. At the end of the year, he defeated Voldemort, who had been sharing a body with Professor Quirrell. That was also the time when the dream with the fire stopped. Melissa now understood what she had been seeing. She ordered several books on Divination before going home for the summer, deciding she really needed to work on her Seeing skills.

"Hey Mel, do you want to come visit over the summer?" Cedric asked on the train ride back home.

"Sure."

"Cool. I'll send you a letter telling you when we'll come get you. Don't want you to get bored this summer!" he said, trying to cheer her up. He knew she was still a little sad. The three little kids had been adopted, leaving her and Sean the only two at the orphanage. She was happy that the kids had families now, but she also felt as if she had lost a part hers.

"Thanks Cedric," she said, smiling warmly.

XXX

It had been three weeks since school had ended. Melissa had just gotten a note from Cedric. It told her that he and his mother would be coming to pick her up in three days, and that she would be spending rest of the holiday with him and his parents. She was so excited that she was already completely packed.

"Mel!" Victoria called up the stairs at her. Mel walked out to the landing and began walking down the stairs.

"Yes, Victoria?"

"Would you mind staring dinner? I need to go out and kept some things."

"Ok."

She walked into the kitchen and began the prep work, humming to herself as she did.

"What are you so happy about?"

She turned her head and saw Sean standing in the kitchen doorway. She was surprised to see him. He had only been at home in the evenings this summer, spending his days with some boys from the village. She had hardly seen him, for which she was grateful. He had been different since he had come from school. He kept to himself even more, was rude and had a dark sense of humor. And the way he had started looking at her made her extremely uncomfortable.

"Nothing, just going to visit a friend in a few days," she said nonchalantly and returning to slicing the carrots for their salad.

"Too boring around here for you?" he asked, walking to stand behind her. She could feel his breath on her neck, causing her stomach to churn nervously.

"No, just thought it would be nice to go visit."

Suddenly, one arm was around her waist pulling her to him, while he worked the other one under her shirt and nuzzled her neck. She struggled to escape his grasp, but found it difficult.

"What are you doing? Let me go!"

"Don't you wanna have some fun before you go?" he whispered in her ear.

"No!"

He spun her around to face him, gripping her shoulders tightly so that she could not move. The crazy look in his eyes caused her tremble in fear. "You're so pretty," he whispered dangerously before crashing his lips to hers. She tried to push him away, but he grabbed her wrists and held them firmly in one of his. His other hand was knotted in her hair, making it impossible for her to turn away from him. He had her trapped, but apparently that was not enough. He wanted more than control over her, he wanted her to respond to him. She had not been kissing him back, just standing with her lips pressed together and hoping he would stop. Now he was trying to coax her lips apart. When he could not get her to do what she wanted, he bit her lip, hard.

She yelped in pain and pulled away from him. She felt something dripping down her chin and had a metallic taste in her mouth. She looked down and saw blood drops on the floor. He had made her bleed! What was wrong with him? Her anger fueled her courage. When he moved to try and kiss her again, she slapped him across the face. A red handprint immediately appeared on the side of his face, his eyes blazing with fury. He grabbed her before she could do anything else and shook her roughly. Fear and anger bubbled inside, she tried to think of something she could do: She had dropped the knife and her wand was upstairs. She had nothing she could use; there was nothing she could do.

"OUCH!" he howled in pain, suddenly letting go of her. Surprised to find herself free, she lost her balance and fell to the floor. She looked at Sean to see why he had yelled and let her go, her eyes widening in shock as she did. He was holding his hands out in front of him. Staring at them in disbelief and horror as they turned red and grew blisters. It looked like his hands were burning. He did not even bother to look at her before running from the room.

Melissa did not know what to think, what to do. She was scared and angry. She just wanted to get away from him, from this house. Forgetting about dinner, she ran upstairs to her room, slamming and locking the door behind her. She scribbled a quick note to Cedric asking him to come sooner, telling him she no longer felt safe here. She hastily tied the note to his owl's leg, which had been resting by the windowsill, and opened the window for him.

She then sat on her bed, curling up in the corner and tightly hugging a pillow to her. Then she cried. She cried until she could not cry any more. How could he do this to her? He was her friend, she trusted him! What did she do to deserve this?

"Melissa? Where are you?" a gentle voice called. Victoria was back. Melissa wanted to run to her and tell her what Sean had done. But she could not move from her spot on the bed. Too afraid of what would happen to them both. So, she stayed silent on her bed. She heard the stairs creak as Victoria walked up them. She paused outside her door and rapped on it while jiggling the handle as she called out to Melissa, "Mel, are you in here?"

Melissa did not answer. She heard the door on the lock click and her eyes shot to the door. Victoria opened the door and entered the room. She froze in mid-step when she saw Melissa, who's arms and bottom lip were bruised and her eyes bloodshot from crying.

"What happened?" Victoria asked, her voice faint.

"I don't know," she said, her own voice trembling with fear. "He just attacked me."

"What did he do to you?"

"He grabbed me, shook me and…and he bit me."

"Did he do anything else?"

"N-no," Mel said, bursting into tears again. Victoria rushed to her side and pulled the girl into a comforting hug and tried to soothe her. "Don't worry," she whispered. "We'll take care of it, I promise. Do want to stay with me at my house tonight?"

Melissa was about to answer when there was a sharp rapping on the front door. Victoria hesitated before going to answer it, glancing over shoulder at Mel several times

"Can I help you?" Melissa heard her ask.

"Where's Mel? She said she was in trouble!" The stranger at the door asked panicked. His voice was familiar, but she could not place it.

"She's upstairs. Who are you?" Victoria asked. But she did not get an answer. Melissa heard Victoria give a cry of surprise, which was followed by thundering footsteps on the stairs. Suddenly, she saw Cedric Diggory standing in her doorway, his face white with fear. His fear quickly turned to anger as he took in her appearance. He rushed over to her and pulled her into a hug, trying not to hurt her.

"Who did this to you?" he said between gritted teeth, his voice trembling with anger.

"S-Sean," she sobbed into his chest. He cradled her to him, rocking them back and forth as she cried.

"You can come home with me, ok? I'll make sure you're safe," he whispered to her. Melissa's only response was to cling to him tighter. She had finally calmed down and did not want to become a sobbing mess again.

"Ah-mm," a male coughed from the doorway. Both teens turned toward the sound, and saw Mr. Diggory looking very serious. "Mrs. Taylor has agreed to let Melissa come home with us. If this is what you want, dear?"

Melissa nodded her head, "Y-yes sir."

"Good," he said, waving his wand and making her trunk disappear. "Now, it seems the boy has left the house. Would like to involve the authorities? He attacked you and you have every right to seek legal action."

"He needs help," was all she could say.

"Perhaps, we will leave that for another day," he said, more to himself than her. "I think we can apparate from here. Cedric, help her up."

Cedric did as his father instructed, and led her over to him. He held out his hands to them, which they both took. "Were all your things in that trunk?"

"Yes."

"Good. This will be a bit uncomfortable, but you'll be perfectly safe."

Melissa had scarcely nodded her head in understanding before she was being sucked into a vacuum cleaner. At least, that was what it felt like. The feeling was so uncomfortable that it was almost painful. As soon as it had begun, it was over. Melissa felt the ground beneath her feet and dropped to her knees, letting go of Mr. Diggory's hand. She vomited violently, and was vaguely aware of Cedric at her side, pulling back her hair. When she stopped, Cedric helped her to her feet and led her inside the house. He steered her to a chair in the kitchen, where his mother started healing her bruises.

"Drink this," she said, handing Melissa a glass of black purple-black liquid. "It will help you to sleep. Right now you just need to rest, ok?"

Melissa nodded and drank the liquid. It tasted bittersweet, but soothed her throat as it went down. Cedric, who had been hovering protectively behind her, then led her to upstairs to the guest bedroom. "My room's across the hall and the bathroom's next door. If you need anything—I don't care what time of day it is—you can come ask me, ok?"

She nodded her head, and he opened the door to the guest bedroom. It had wood floors like the rest of the house. The furniture was a matching light brown wood and the linens were warm and flowery. She felt a wave of exhaustion hit her as she heard Cedric closing the door.

"Cedric," she said. He paused and looked her, concern in his eyes. She walked over to him and threw her arms around him.

"Thank you," she whispered. He hugged her tightly before releasing her.

"I'm always here for you. Please get some rest, now."

She nodded her head for the hundredth time, and he closed the door. She collapsed on the queen-size bed, falling asleep before she could even crawl under the covers.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. I created Melissa.**

Cedric was furious. How could someone hurt her like that? She had never even been mean to someone, let alone hurt anyone. How could this have happened to her?

"Cedric, please try to eat something. I know you're angry, but that's not going to help her," his mother said gently. It worried her to see her son this angry. He rarely got angry, even as a child. But now he sat across from her with his jaw clenched and his hands balled up into fists, the knuckles white.

"I know," he said, his voice hard.

"Cedric," his father said warningly.

"Sorry, Mum. I just don't understand why this happened to her," he said, hanging his head so they could not see the tears. He was almost fifteen years old and he was crying. His mother reached and laid her hand on his.

"We can't answer that, sweetie. No one can but that boy. All we can do is try to help her through this. She wouldn't be able to handle you being angry. She'll blame herself, and that's the last thing we want her to do."

Cedric nodded his head. He knew his mother was right. She saw cases like this all time at St. Mungo's. Actually, what she saw was much worse.

"I think I'm just going to go to bed. I'm not really hungry," he said, getting up from the table. His parents nodded in understanding. He paused in the entryway and turned back to his parents. "Thanks for helping today, Dad."

"Of course, son," he said, giving him a reassuring smile. Cedric bid them goodnight and went up to his room. He had difficulty falling asleep. Mel's tear-stained face and bruised body kept flashing before his eyes. She had been so helpless. He had never seen her like that before. It was unnerving. He was not sure how he was going to help her, but he knew he was going to try. She was one of the most important people in his life. He _had_ to do anything and everything he could to help her.

The next few weeks were difficult. Melissa was very withdrawn and jumpy. Cedric's mother traded shifts with someone from the hospital so that they could come talk to her. The Healer, who was an older woman, came to Melissa talked to her for a few hours everyday. After a few weeks, Cedric noticed that Melissa was relaxing and acting like her old self, though she was more timid than she had been before. One day he overheard the Healer talking to his mother after one of Melissa's sessions. She had that while the experience had been traumatic, the attack and its affects were not too severe and how quickly she had received helped were aiding in her quick recovery. She had said that the biggest issue was rebuilding her sense of security and trust. That those were the two things that had been violated the most during her attack. Two more weeks went by and then the Healer stopped coming. Cedric only hoped that Melissa would continue to do ok.

"Hey Ced," she said, plopping down on the grass next to him. He closed the book his had been reading and looked at happy. He happily noted that she was smiling and that her overall mood seemed light and carefree. "What are you reading?"

"One of our new books for Defense. Mom had a copy. This Lockhart guy seems like a real wanker. I can't imagine why Dumbledore hired him," he said disapprovingly.

"That bad, huh?" she asked, taking the book and flipping it in her hands. He nodded his head in answer and watched as she skimmed the inside cover, her light green eyes blurring slightly has she did. Her long brown-red, which was looking even redder in the sunlight, fell about her in waves and framed her heart-shaped face perfectly.

In Cedric's opinion, she was the best girl in their year, maybe the whole school. She was smart, kind, funny, and pretty. Cedric had been drawn to her since that day on the train in their first year. There was just something that drew him to her, something he could not explain. He still could not, not completely. He knew he liked her and cared about her, but there was something else. Something he did not understand.

"Where do they find these people?" Mel said in disbelief, her voice startling Cedric out of his reverie.

"No-no idea," he choked out, blushing slightly. However, she was still skimming the book and did not notice. She handed the book back to him, her fingertips grazing his and sending a tingling sensation through them.

"You ready to go back to school in a few weeks?" he asked, trying to ignore the butterflies in his stomach.

"I think so," she said, tucking her arms under her knees and pulling to her chest. Over the past few weeks he had noticed that she did this whenever she was nervous or did not want to talk about something. He knew he had to be careful with what he said and how he said it or else she would clam up and refuse to talk about it.

"We're going to Diagon Alley on the thirty-first to get supplies and staying the night at the Leaky Cauldron. Angela's doing the same. She wants to see you. She's worried about you," Cedric said, his voice level as he attentively watched her reaction to his words. She looked a little uncomfortable, but was otherwise fine. "I haven't told her anything. But that and not allowing her to visit and you not writing to her have only made her very concerned about you."

"I know," she mumbled. "But I'm afraid of what she'll say and think. I'm not even sure that I _want_ to tell her."

"You don't have to tell her anything," Cedric said gently. "However, she's your friend and cares about you. I doubt she'll think anything negative about you."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

An uncomfortable silence fell between them. Each was unsure of what to say and avoided looking at the other, though Cedric snuck a few looks at Melissa out of the corner of his eye. The silence was broken by Cedric's mother calling them in for dinner. Cedric hopped up and extended his hand to Melissa, who accepted it. He then turned and began walking toward the house.

"Cedric," she called. He stopped and turned to look at her, still standing several feet behind him. Slowly, she walked over to him until there were only a few feet between them. He looked at her questioningly, unable to read her body language. Her arms were folded across her chest though not in a defensive way and she was having a hard time looking at him. Finally she took a deep breath and met his gaze. "Thank you for coming to get me and for helping me through all of this. I'm not sure what would have happened to me if it wasn't for you and your family," she said genuinely grateful.

"I told you. I'm always here for you," he said, smiling warmly and holding out his hand to her again. She returned his smile, took his hand, and they walked inside.

XXX

"Oh my god, Melissa! Are you ok?" Angela exclaimed.

It was the night before Melissa and her friends returned to Hogwarts, and, as planned, they were spending the night in the Leaky Cauldron. Melissa was on Angela's bed, lying on her back and staring at the ceiling as she told her friend why she had not returned any of her letters. Angela was sitting erect at the head of the bed, visibly upset by what she had just learned.

"I am now, but I was….kinda out of it for awhile," she said. She had found it easy to tell Angela what had happened, but did not want her to freak out any more. However, she could not think of what she could say to soothe her. She decided that keeping her composure was the best way to convince Angela that she was all right.

"How could Cedric not tell me? I care about you too!"

"I asked him not to. I wasn't ready for anyone else to know. I-I was embarrassed by what had happened and how I reacted," she said, her voice catching slightly.

"Oh Mel," Angela sighed softly, "I'm so sorry this happened to you."

"It's over now. I'm fine, really," she said, determination in her voice.

"I just wish I had been there for you."

"You were out of the country. Besides, Cedric and his family were wonderful. I'm not sure if I would have gotten better so quickly if it wasn't for them."

"What's going on between you two anyways?"

"What do you mean?" Mel asked, propping herself up on her elbows to give her friend a questioning look.

"Well, you guys are really close. He's the first you go to about things, and, well, it's pretty obvious he likes you," Angela said, smirking slightly.

"Friends do tend to like each other. You're not usually friends with people you don't like," Mel said, oblivious to her friend's true meaning.

"Not like in the friend way," Angela sighed exasperatedly and rolled her eyes. "I mean like in a romantic way."

"What?" Mel exclaimed. "You're insane. He—it—No! It's not like that."

"Whatever you say," Angela said in a singsong voice. Mel ignored her friend and went over to her own bed. She untucked the sheets and crawled under them, glad her friend could not see the embarrassed blush on her cheeks. She reached over and turned off the lamp, but apparently Angela still had more to say. "I bet five galleons that you two are together by the end of this year."

"Whatever," Mel muttered slightly disgruntled, unable to think of a clever retort to her friend. Angela laughed heartily as she lay down to sleep, which pushed Mel past being disgruntled to being annoyed with her friend. She rolled over so that she was facing away from Angela, letting out an angry huff as she did. She was sure Angela was crazy. Cedric did not think of her in that way. But why did the suggestion bother her so much?

XXX

_She did not know where she was, but somehow she knew she was in a very big room underground. It was dark. She checked her pockets, but could not find her wand. Fear building inside her, she spun around looking for a light. Finally, she found one. It was so faraway that it was basically a pinprick. She made her way over to it, carefully placing each step on the floor, which was both wet and uneven. As she moved closer, she heard hissing and saw two figures. One had a human form, but she knew it was not human—or it was not anymore. It was deformed and kept changing; changing both in form and voice. One minute it sounded like a young girl who was afraid. The next it was a young man with a domineering presence. The other figure was massive and was doing most of the hissing. From what she could make out it looked like a giant snake. She paused mid-step, unsure if it was safe to go any further. The giant snake's head snapped and looked in her direction. It started hissing furiously to the human-like figure. It said something back to the snake, and, before she could move, hundreds of normal-sized snakes surrounded her. They were slithering around her feet, up her legs, and falling on her head. She began screaming and trying to shake them off, but it did not do any good. More and more snakes kept appearing. She screamed louder, causing the human-like thing to laugh in amusement. The laugh sent chills down her spine. She felt a sharp pain in her arm and knew she had been bitten. Instantly, her vision started to blur and she felt weak. She fell to the ground, the spine-chilling laughter ringing in her hears. She was going to die here….._

"Mel, wake up! MEL!"

Someone shaking her and calling her name pulled Mel out of the horrible vision. She was momentarily confused to find herself in the library, but quickly remembered that she had been studying before both sleep and the vision had overtaken her. She turned her head to see Cedric standing next to her, his hand still on her shoulder and his expression one of concern. Her stomach churned with nervousness. Had she been screaming in her sleep? How long had he been there anyways?

"Hey," she said, choosing to pretend that had not just been having a fit. "Did quidditch practice go well?"

"Yeah, fine," he said, setting his things on the table while continuing to give her a worried look. "You ok? You looked like you were in pain."

"I'm fine, just a bad dream," she said, avoiding his questioning gaze by opening her history book and setting up to write an essay.

"You've been having them a lot, haven't you? Angela says you wake up at all hours of the night, sometimes screaming. She's says your not sleeping much," he half-asked, half-accused. She sighed and set her quill down, realizing she needed all of her attention to tiptoe around his question. He was too well informed; she had to be careful not too let something slip.

"They're just nightmares. I don't why they affect me so. I can't remember any of them."

"Is it the attacks? Could they be causing it?"

"Maybe, I don't know. It's probably just stress from classes and the attacks," she said, giving him the best fake reassuring smile she could muster. His doubtful expression told her it was not enough, so she added reassuringly, "I'm fine, really."

"Fine," he sighed, still not believing her but not wanting to start a fight. "Maybe Madame Pomfrey could give you something to help you sleep? You should ask tomorrow."

"Yeah, sure," she said, returning to her work. She had been to Madame Pomfrey. And Dumbledore. The former had given her a pitying look and told her no potion could stop her visions, and the latter had reiterated Pomfrey's statement and told Mel to continue her efforts in Divination. She had, thinking she could find a way to make them stop, but all that happened was that the visions got worse. She had begun to wonder if that was what Dumbledore wanted. She had told him everything she could about the vision—for it was the same one that she saw every night—and both were convinced that it was connected to the attacks (the snakes were a big and obvious hint there). She thought that he may be hoping that she could find out who was behind the attacks or maybe where the Chamber was. However, all she had been able to figure out so far was that it was underground, probably near the lake, but not the entrance to the Chamber. Nor, due to its changing shape, could she make an educated guess as to who was doing it. All she knew was that it was _not_ Harry Potter. The male figure was too old to be him. That, and he was friends with a muggleborn. He was not prejudiced that much was obvious. People were just panicking because he was a Parselmouth.

"Who do you think it could be?" Cedric wondered, his question breaking through her thoughts.

"Pardon?" she asked, not sure she had heard him right.

"Behind the attacks. Who do you think—"

"I don't know," she said, cutting him off as she had heard this question many times before. "Some sick, pureblood maniac, I'm sure. I can't imagine a child would be able to do it either, so it must be one of the older students. And no, it is not Potter. He's a half-blood and friends with muggleborns. He and that Malfoy boy are always fighting about blood status worth. Potter's always defending muggleborns and half-bloods against Malfoy's pureblood mantra. It's not him."

"Why do you know so much about a second year?" Cedric asked, his tone odd.

"Because it's not _any_ second year. It's Harry Potter. Everybody knows too much about him. Besides, he and his friends are always running in and out of here," she said, rolling her eyes. _Poor boy, everybody's always judging him and deciding how he should be_, she thought.

"But he's a Parselmouth. That's supposed to be the mark of a dark wizard."

Melissa froze, her quill hovering above her parchment. Slowly and with care she began gathering her things. Anger and hurt boiling within her. "I can't believe," she said, practically hissing from angry, "that you would judge someone just because they do something that's not common. An ability does not make someone evil. It's what they do with it that makes them evil. I thought you were better than that."

She grabbed her things and stormed out of the library, ignoring the glaring Madame Pince as she did. She left behind a very stunned and confused Cedric, who was unable to move for several minutes after her outburst. Finally, he gathered his things and returned to the dormitory, still wearing a bemused expression.

XXX

"What did you do?" asked Ryan the next morning at breakfast. Melissa was sitting several feet down from them, separated from rest of the table by Angela and Lindsey. Normally, they all sat together, but, apparently, Melissa was still angry from the night before and was not speaking to him yet.

"I don't know," Cedric said giving a frustrated sigh and viciously poking his sausage. "And I can't even ask to find out, or just apologize because she's not talking to me."

Ryan barked out a laugh, causing most of the table to look at them curiously. Cedric felt his face redden from the unwanted attention and shot his friend a reproving look, which only made him laugh harder.

"What is your problem?" he snapped, growing annoyed.

"You're not even with her and you're already whipped," Ryan gasped out between breaths, trying to regain some manner of composure.

"Shut up," Cedric muttered angrily. He hated that it was so obvious how he felt to the other guys. They had been teasing him about for years. It was not until this year that they started encouraging him to ask her out. They said that if he did not do it soon, then someone else would. Unfortunately, she had matured over their last summer vacation and other boys were noticing the beautiful Hufflepuff. It made Cedric's stomach turn in anger and jealousy when he thought about it. But he still could not find the courage to ask her out. He knew why. He was afraid that if he tried to change their relationship that she would freak out. They had grown closer that summer, and he knew she trusted him. But after all she had been through, he was not sure that she would see his advances as anything different than Sean's. Though they were. He did not want to hurt her, but he could not deny that he wanted to be physically close to her as well as emotionally. And that was what he was not sure she could accept. Not yet at least.

"Just give her some time. Let her cool off," Ryan advised, his face still showing the signs of his laughing fit. Cedric nodded his head as he set his fork down and pushed his plate away, deciding he was not really hungry.

"Let's go," he said to Ryan, picking up his school bag and getting up from the table. "We're going to be late."

XXX

"Enter."

Mel pushed open the door to the headmaster's office. She had had a breakthrough in her visions. She still did not who was behind the attacks or where the entrance to the Chamber was, but she had a pretty good idea who the intended target was. It made her sick. Who would intentionally want to hurt a child? Well, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did. But he was gone, or at least everyone thought he was. However, after last year's events and the attacks, Mel was not so sure he was. Which is why, after having the vision in Divination, she had run to Dumbledore's office, hoping he could provide answers or help in some way.

"Ah, Miss Evans, please have a seat," he said gesturing to the hair across from him. She took it, avoiding his piercing blue eyes as she sat. "What brings you to see me?"

She took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to calm herself before telling him. "I had another vision. I know who the attacker is after…. Harry Potter is the intended victim."

Dumbledore was silent for several minutes, his expression unreadable. Mel was beginning to think that he did not believe her. She was thinking of what she could say to defend herself when he spoke.

"Do you have any idea of who could be behind the attacks?"

"Yes, no, well not exactly," she rambled. "I've never seen the person, but I think…I think it could be You-Know-Who."

She looked at him fearfully, certain he was not going to believe her. She was sure he was going to tell her that she was mistaken, that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was gone and could not be him. Needless to say that she was surprised by what he said next.

"I think you are correct in your assumption. I have been contemplating the possibility for quite some time now."

"But sir, how can it be possible? He couldn't be strong enough to share another's body again, could he?" she asked.

"I'm not sure how he's doing it. And no, I don't think he is strong enough to share a body with someone. Not yet at least," he added, more to himself than to her.

"Sir?" she asked, drawing him out of his reverie. He looked at her to show she had his full attention. "Why do most of my visions involve Potter? Why did they start when he came to school?"

Dumbledore placed his fingers together and stared at her over them. Again, he was deep in thought, and it was several minutes before he responded.

"How old are you, Melissa?"

"Fourteen, I'll be fifteen in April though. That's only two months away," she answered, though confused by the question. What did her age matter?

"So young and in such a hurry to grow up," he sighed, staring sadly at her now. She shifted nervously in her seat.

"I am afraid that what I am about to tell you will not be easy to hear, and even harder to understand. However, you are not truly a child any more and I cannot justify keeping this from you any longer. All I ask, is that you let me explain everything before you ask any questions," he said, his tone grave. Despite her tense body and nervous pulse telling her to leave, Melissa nodded her head in agreement and stayed in her chair.

"As you know there are many kinds of magic," he began. "Some of which are so ancient that little is known about them, and so, many believe them to be most unpredictable kinds of magic. As they often are, most people do not go further than researching them out of fear for possible devastating consequences. However, desperate times call for desperate measures."

He paused for a moment, letting what he had said sink in while he thought about how to proceed. "These desperate times, of course, were the first war with Voldemort. During this war, I formed a group called the Order of the Phoenix. The members of this group not only fought Voldemort and his Death Eaters, but also researched ancient magics in hopes of finding a way to defeat the Dark Lord. Voldemort has gone further into dark and ancient magics than any wizard in recorded history, we were convinced it would take equally strong, but good, ancient magic to defeat him."

"We had many talented and intelligent members in the Order. As a group, they were able to search through our limited resources and find some promising prospects, one more so than others. A small group of them found it. It's description made it seem harmless. So, the few of them that found it cast the spell."

He was silent for several minutes. His staring at her, but did not seem to really see her. It was like he was seeing trough her, like she was not even there. His explanation had been vague so far. She did not understand what it had to do with her.

"Sir?" she prompted after ten minutes of silence. He blinked, his focus coming back to the present.

"Forgive me," he said smiling. "I am an old man and often through my train of thought. So, back to my tale. From what we understood, the spell would not only show us the future, but it would show us the past as well. We thought it would allow us to see Voldemort's past. We hoped to find his weakness there. However, we quickly discovered that we had misunderstood the spell's meaning. The translation said that sight would guide us to the answers we sought. As I said before, we thought that meant we would be temporarily given the gift of seeing or something similar to that. When the incantation said "Sight" it was not referring just to the gift, but the personification of the gift. In other words, "Sight" would take human form and would then help us to the answer. In short, we conjured a person into being. This person possesses many traits of those who conjured her, but is also her own person. She has the potential to be the most powerful seer the world has ever known."

"Sir, I don't understand. What does that have to do with me? With my connection to Potter?" she asked, completely lost. His explanation sounded like something out of a storybook.

"Lilly Evans Potter, James Potter, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were the ones that conjured this spell. They were among the most talented wizards to have ever attended this school. Together they were able to perform the incantation safely and correctly. Within twenty-four hours a child appeared at the Potter's house. It was Sight herself personified as a baby girl. Obviously, we were all very surprised and thought they had failed. Lilly and James, however, felt a strong connection to the child and decided they would raise her. As they were the two main conjurers this connection was understandable. For all intents and purposes, they were the baby's parents. All was fine until the night Voldemort attacked the Potters. Lilly and James were killed, leaving behind two children. Both were separated and sent to places that we all believed they would be safe. Today they both attend Hogwarts. Obviously Harry is one of them, and you are the other. James and Lilly were your parents in a sense; part of them, their magic, is in you as it is in Harry, which is why you have a connection to him. You see when he is in danger and you have the ability to save or help him. However, Harry also has a connection to Voldemort. I believe as your power grows, you may be able to use their shared connection and see into both Voldemort's past and future."

She could follow what he was saying. Most of it was clear and straightforward, logical even. She could understand it, but she could not accept it. It was impossible to conjure a person. They had just learned that in Transfiguration. What Dumbledore was saying was insane. But from the look on his face she knew he was not lying. What was she supposed to do?

"Professor," she started hesitantly, "how is that even possible? You can't conjure a person. It's not possible."

"Not with everyday magic, no. But this was not common magic. It was one of the oldest and purest kinds of magic. And my dear, you are living proof that it is possible," he added gently.

She opened her mouth to say something, but could not form the words. She quickly closed it again; aware she looked like a gaping fish. She closed her eyes and tried to think of a way to prove that Dumbledore was wrong. Instead, she saw the turquoise light behind her lids. Her eyes shot open instantly and shot back to Dumbledore.

"That light, the one I told you about last year, that was when it happened. When they conjured me, wasn't it?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"Yes."

"Am I even human?"

"Of course you are. You may not have entered this world in the traditional sense or for though the traditional reason—though there are many unexpected and unplanned children in the world—but you are entirely human," he said firmly, wanting to make sure she understood this point. She nodded her head to show that she did, not that it made her feel any better.

"What happens when I've done whatever it is I'm supposed to do? Do I just disappear, cease to exist?" she asked, growing slightly panicked at the thought.

"I do not know, but I doubt that. While helping to permanently defeat Lord Voldemort will be a big part of your life, I do not think it is the only thing you were sent here to do. That will be something you discover throughout your life."

Melissa's pulse returned to normal, feeling slightly reassured by his words. It was a daunting prospect, defeating the Dark Lord. She was only fourteen after all. But that was probably years away. No one even knew where he was, and her seeing abilities were not that advanced yet.

"Sirius Black," she mused, recognizing the name. "He was accused of killing thirteen people, of being a Death Eater, wasn't he?"

"Yes, he currently resides in Azkaban."

"I don't think he did it," she said, surprising both herself and Dumbledore.

"Why do you say that? There is ample proof against him."

"Just a feeling," she said shrugging. "Harry doesn't know about any of this, I'm guessing?"

"Beside you, those that conjured you, and myself no one knows about an of this. And for your safety, and Harry's, I ask that you keep that way, for now at least. There will come a time when Harry will know the truth, but now is not that time," he said, managing to be firm but kind at the same time. "I must also ask that you keep an eye on Harry. I think you can do that more covertly than others."

"Of course, he's my brother, isn't he?" she said, surprised by her sudden nonchalance. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. To her at least. It would never make sense to anyone else like Cedric or Angela. They would think she was crazy. They still did not know that she was a seer. Actually, she was the personification of Seeing. That sounded a bit crazy even in her head. Her friends would send her to the nut house if she ever told him. She felt a heavy weight in her stomach as she thought this. She hated lying to them; it felt like a betrayal. It _was_ a betrayal. But she did not have a choice, did she? She had a job to do. She had to help protect Harry and get rid of Voldemort.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at her sudden change in attitude, but did not comment on it. Instead, he asked, "Do you have any more questions?"

"No, not now anyways."

"Then I suggest you head to your dormitory. You've missed the remainder of your classes for the day. I will send a note to your professors excusing you. Make sure to eat a decent dinner tonight."

"Yes, sir," she said. She stood up, grabbed her bag, and left. Her mind was still on their conversation as she walked through the hall. So much so that she did not see the person walking from her right and collided with them.

"Sorry," she said, picking up a book the person had dropped.

"Where have you been?" a familiar, deep voice asked. Her head shot up and she saw Cedric standing before her. "You missed the rest of our classes. Is everything ok?"

He was worried about her. Even though she had exploded at him without explanation and was being unreasonable and not talking to him, he still cared. He still wanted to make sure she was all right. She felt so grateful he was her friend, but she also felt guilty. Guilty because she kept so much from him. Guilty because he was always there for her and always accepting and understanding; meanwhile she blows up at him over nothing. She really did not deserve to have him in her life. He deserved a much better friend. But how could she be a better friend when she could not tell him the truth about her?

"I think so," she said. "I'm sorry about yelling at you last night, by the way. I may have overreacted."

"Yeah maybe," he said, smiling cheekily.

"It's just…there's something you don't know about me. Something I'm not allowed to tell you, anyone really. It's what set me off. It was wrong of me to snap at you, especially since you don't know why I would be upset. I just freaked out for a minute. I thought that you would be saying the same about me if you knew my secret," she explained, unable to look him in the eye.

"There's nothing you could do or say that would make me stop caring about you. You're one of my best friends. And you did have a right to be mad at me. I shouldn't judge someone just because of an ability," he said reassuringly. She shot him a quick smile, which caused his heart to skip a few beats. He was glad she was talking to him again. And glad that she was trying to explain her somewhat secretive manner. Though he wished she could tell him more. But maybe one day she would. All he cared about was that she was ok and speaking to him again. "Wanna head down to dinner? By the time we get to the common room, we'll just have to turn around."

She nodded her head and fell in step beside him, feeling slightly better that she had told him something. She could tell he wanted to know more, but was grateful he did not ask. Maybe one day she could tell him. She hoped so. If she had a shot of anyone understanding and accepting her, it was with Cedric.

XXX

Melissa worked on her Seeing skills for rest of the year. Before the Basilisk took Ginny Weasley, she was able to discern that Voldemort was working through a student and that it was a Basilisk. The problem was that Dumbledore was gone by the time she worked out this information and had no one to tell it too. She was ridden with guilt when Ginny disappeared, sure she could have stopped it if she had said something. It got worse when Mel found out that Ginny and Harry had almost died down in the Chamber. She broke down in tears shortly after the pajama feast and had to be taken to the Hospital Wing, where she was given several calming potions. Dumbledore stopped by to tell her that none of it was her fault and that he was impressed by her progress. He also told her that she could go to Professors McGonagall or Snape with a message if he was ever unreachable again.

When the school year ended, she went home with Angela. The orphanage had been temporarily closed due to lack of funds. Melissa was sad that she did not get to see Victoria, who had been the closest thing to a mother she had ever known, but was happy not to go back. The thought of the orphanage still brought back memories from the previous summer.

"We're going to vacation in the south of France this year!" Angela squealed as they walked into her large bedroom. "Aren't you excited?"

"Yes, very," Mel said, smiling enthusiastically. "Thanks for inviting me to spend the summer with you."

"I told Cedric that it was my turn. He got you last summer and at Christmas," she said defensively. "He was very upset, by the way. I think he's going to miss you," she said sighing. "I can't believe he didn't ask you out this year!"

"Speaking of that, you owe me five galleons," Mel said smirking.

Angela threw a pillow at Mel's head. Mel dodged it and threw it back, hitting Angela in the face. The girls fell into a fit of giggles. It was several minutes before they could stop laughing. When they finally did, they were clutching their sides in pain.

"How's this," Angela said, "I'll double the bet. He'll ask you out this coming school year or I owe you 10 galleons."

"Sounds like easy money. Deal," Mel said.

"I can't wait to prove you wrong," she heard Angela mutter under her breath. Mel rolled her eyes and picked herself up off the floor. Her friend could be so stubborn at times. At least this time it was harmless, and she was going to make ten galleons by the end of next year. Sounded like a win to her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. I created Melissa.**

"It's rather depressing to be back here, isn't it?" Angela sighed wistfully. They were sitting outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. Angela was playing with her ice cream, which was slowly turning to soup, her long golden hair falling across face and shielding her brown eyes from the sun. Mel sat across from her, back to the sun and ice cream gone, rolling her eyes at her friend.

"You'll be fawned over soon enough, I promise," Mel said with mock sincerity.

"I know, but it won't be the same. It won't be from tan, fit boys with sexy French accents. We're back to the boring boys we've gone to school with for years," she whined.

"I'm sure you'll find someone," Mel muttered distractedly as she scanned the crowd for a familiar face.

"It's easy for you! You have the best looking, nicest, smartest boy in the school after you!" Angela said enviously. "And wait until he sees you! You've grown about six inches, you're tan from the sun, your hair's even redder than normal from being outside, not to mention you've filled out in a few important places. Cedric is going to _die_ when he sees you."

Mel felt her face redden as her friend spoke. She knew Angela was only complimenting her, but it made her uncomfortable anyways. Angela thought she was being ridiculously modest, as both girls had had several admirers during the holiday and now looked more like young women instead of girls. But Mel could not help it. She did not like to be the center of attention. She had often been uncomfortable with all the attention she received from the boys over the summer, but had tolerated it for Angela's sake.

"Not to mention, all the experience you gained over the summer with the male sex," Angela teased, making a mock-suggestive face as she spoke. This only caused Mel to blush more and look slightly mortified.

"Will you shut up!" she hissed, looking around to make sure no one was listening. "First, I did not do more than kiss a few of those boys. Second, Cedric and I are just friends. Let it go, will you?"

"Whatever you say," Angela teased in a singsong voice, smirking at her friend, who was now glaring daggers at her. She rolled her eyes to show that she was not affected and got up from the table saying, "Come on, we need to finish our shopping."

XXX

"This is gonna be our year, gentlemen," Ryan said, his tone full of excited anticipation. Cedric, who was searching for a new pair of quidditch gloves, shook his head in exasperation at his friend's words. He had heard this speech multiple times over the summer. However, their friend Drew, a fellow Hufflepuff fifth year, had yet to suffer through it. Drew shot Cedric a questioning look to which he just shook his head, refusing to say anything.

"With Cedric as quidditch captain and prefect," Ryan continued, oblivious to his friends' exchange, "Hufflepuff House will be lead to victory both on and off the pitch this year. We're finally going to beat Gryffindor!"

"You're just hoping that I won't turn you in if I catch you breaking any rules," Cedric muttered.

"Well, yeah, that too," Ryan said unabashedly.

"Just because we're friends, doesn't mean you can do whatever you want," Cedric said.

"But you can be more lenient with us," Ryan argued.

"Tell you what," Cedric smirked, "I'll turn a blind eye, but you get to deal with Mel."

"Hey! That's not fair!" Ryan whined, causing his two friends to laugh.

"So, Mel made prefect too then?" Drew asked, still chuckling.

"Yeah."

"So, you've heard from our dear, lovely Melissa, have you?" Ryan question. Cedric groaned, know what was coming. "Our dear, sweet, innocent Melissa who was in the south of France with an overly friendly Angela for the summer?"

"Do we know another Melissa?" Cedric snapped. "What are you getting at?"

"Oh, nothing," he shrugged. "I mean, Angela's only the most boy-crazy girl we know and can guilt Mel into doing things or going to places she wouldn't normally go..."

"Get to your point," Cedric said, temper rising.

"All right, all right," Ryan said, holding his hands in front of him to show he meant no harm. He had momentarily forgotten how irrational Cedric was when it came to Mel. "I'm just saying that she _may_ have had a summer fling."

"So?"

"So, don't let it bother you ok? What's done is done. You still have this year to _finally_ ask her out."

Cedric nodded stiffly, but said nothing.

"Bloody hell," Drew said suddenly, his tone of surprise and awe. The two boys followed his gaze toward the front of the store to see what had caught his attention. Two very tan girls had just entered the shop. One girl, who had long, wavy, reddish-brown hair, was leading the other, who had long, pin-straight, golden hair, to where they stood. Cedric heard the first girl say, "See, I told you they'd be here," before quickening her step. Suddenly, the girl was in a few feet of them, launching herself into his arms.

"Hey Mel," Cedric said, regaining his balance as he hugged her back. "How was your summer?"

"Good," she said, letting go. "And yours?"

"Same as always."

She turned away from him and hugged both Ryan and Drew. Though, he noted with some satisfaction, that neither of their hugs were as long as his had been. He noticed Angela watching him and raised an eyebrow. In response, she smiled and shook her head, an all-knowing look in her eyes. Cedric felt his face get hot. It seemed everyone knew about his feelings for Mel, except for Mel herself.

"So I hear you made quidditch captain _and_ prefect?" Angela asked.

"Yeah, we were just discussing that actually. Ryan thinks he's got a get-out-of-jail-free card for the next few years."

"Is that so?" Mel said, turning to glare playful at Ryan, who feigned innocence.

"I do not. I believe what I said that it was smooth sailing for _Hufflepuff_. Meaning," he added under her stern look, "that we have an excellent shot at winning the Quidditch Cup and the House Cup this year."

"I'm sure that's what you meant," Mel said skeptically.

"Of course it was," Ryan said indignantly. "I would never _dream_ of taking advantage of my friends' positions."

Everyone rolled their eyes, easily seeing through Ryan's faux-innocence.

"Come on," Angela said, linking arms with Mel. "We need to go meet my parents. See you guys tomorrow."

Mel waved good-bye before allowing her friend to lead her out of store. The three boys watched them go. As soon as they were out of earshot, Drew let out a low whistle.

"Seriously Ced, you'd better hurry up and ask her out. She's even prettier than last year," Drew said.

"She may be pretty, but she's a normal, girl-next-door pretty. Angela, on the other hand, is the pretty every girl aspires to be and every guy pays attention to first. Angela's got to be off the market first before Ced's in any real danger of losing Mel," Ryan reasoned.

"Well, that might normally be true if they weren't best friends. However, Mel's always with Angela, so she'll be noticed just as much," Drew countered.

Cedric sighed, grabbed a pair of gloves, and went to pay for them, trying his best to ignore his friends' debate. He knew they were right, he just did not know how to go about doing it. She was his best friend, how was he supposed to tell her that he wanted more? And what if she did not?

His stomach sank at this last thought. What if, after all this time, she only thought of him as a friend? That was his biggest fear, though he could not help but have hope. He had noticed a slight blush in her cheeks after she hugged him, something that had not happened before nor been there when she hugged the other two. He had also caught the fleeting questioning glance Angela had shot her when she thought no one was looking, which caused Mel to blush again. He thought, hoped, that these were signs in his favor. But he knew he needed to do something, and he knew he had to do it soon.

"Can you two please shut up?" Cedric snapped. "I get the point. Scratch that, I've understood the point for years. I'm going to ask her out, this year, before Christmas."

Both boys shut up instantly, staring at him in disbelief. He had been saying that for over a year now, but they had never heard him speak with such conviction. He was serious this time.

"Atta boy, Ced," Ryan said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Now all we have to figure out is how you're going to do that."

Cedric groaned. Honestly, his friends were worse than Angela and Lindsey sometimes.

XXX

"I saw that look you gave him, by the way," Angela said. She was sitting at mirror in their room, brushing her golden locks. Mel was sitting on her bed, engrossed in her new Divination book. She had not been practicing as much this summer—Angela had kept her very busy—and was a bit rusty. It would take her a month to get back to where she had been at the end of the previous school year. She felt a bit guilty for not practicing as much, especially with Sirius Black on the run. She knew he was innocent, but somehow she knew that something else was going on. And she knew that she could only find out what that something was if she started working on her Seeing skills again.

"What?" she asked because she had not heard what her friend had said. However, Angela took it as she did not understand.

"I saw the look you gave Cedric at the quidditch shop today," Angela said, turning on the bench to face Mel.

"What are you talking about?" she asked confused, tearing her eyes from her book.

"When you hugged Cedric today, you had this look. It's hard to explain, but you've never looked at him that way before. I guess a good term would be lovestruck," Angela said.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Mel said. She felt herself blush and hid behind her book. She did not want to talk about this. She did not want Angela to know how she now felt about Cedric. If she did, Mel would never hear the end of it.

Ignoring her friend's denial, Angela continued with her questioning. "When did you know anyways? Like I said, you've never looked him that way before, so it must've been sometime this summer. Right?"

Mel remained silent, feigning deafness. However, her flaming ears and face were a dead give-a-way that she had heard every word. After a few minutes of silence, she chanced a glance at Angela and regretted it immediately: Angela was staring intently at her from across the room, patiently waiting for Mel's response. Mel quickly hid her face behind her book again, trying to think of a way to distract Angela.

"I have all night to get this out of you, you know," Angela prompted.

"There's nothing to tell," Mel lied from behind her book.

"Mel," Angela said in her warning tone. Mel sighed and put the book down. That tone meant Angela was going to lose it; she really hated not knowing things.

"I don't know exactly," she began, keeping her eyes trained on the pattern of the bedspread. "I mean, it was sometime over the summer, but I don't know the actual date or time or anything. We were spending a lot of time with those boys and every now and then they would do or say something that reminded me of him. And when that happened…I don't know…I would suddenly miss him. I missed him a lot this summer, more than I've ever missed anyone. There were several occasions where I wanted nothing more than to leave a party and just go write to him. And I never felt anything for those boys. If anything, I felt guilty. Though I don't understand why…," she trailed off for a minute before looking at Angela, panic in her eyes.

"Angela, you have to promise not to tell anyone about this," she pleaded. "Not even Lindsey."

"Of course not sweetie," Angela whispered, taken aback by her friend's confession and panic. "I won't tell, promise."

"Thank you," Mel breathed, relaxing instantly.

"By the way," Angela said breaking the tense silence that had fallen between them, "you are going to owe me ten galleons by the this year."

Mel gave a half-hearted laugh, begrudgingly thinking that Angela may be right. As Angela finished her nightly routine, Mel set out her clothes for the next day and checked the room for any loose articles of clothing or school supplies. She found a few socks and threw them in her trunk before crawling into bed. When Angela had finished, she turned of the lights and crawled into her bed. Mel heard her fall asleep within minutes, but found it impossible for her to sleep: Her stomach was twisting in nervous anticipation of the next day.

XXX

"We'll meet you girls downstairs," Mr. Abbott said, levitating their trunks and taking them downstairs.

" 'Kay, Dad," Angela called from the bathroom, where she was stuffing something into her knapsack.

"C'mon, Ange," Mel whined. "I wanna eat before we leave."

"Then go, I'll be down in a minute."

Mel grabbed her own knapsack and made her way downstairs. On her way, she saw two red-haired boys snickering outside a door.

"The school year hasn't even started and you two are already causing problems," she admonished jokingly, pausing behind them.

"Well, look who it is," Fred drawled.

"Little Melissa!" George said, turning to face her. Indeed, compared to them she was little, but only by a foot. She rolled her eyes at them and continued passed them. However, they decided to follow her downstairs.

"So Melissa, have you gone over to the dark side?" Fred asked.

"If going over to the dark side means I made prefect, then yes," she said, sighing dramatically.

"We'd best keep on our toes, then," George joked. "Wouldn't want you to have give us detention."

"No, we wouldn't want that," Fred mocked.

"Are you two going to make my life miserable?"

"Depends, are you going to make _our_ lives miserable?" Fred asked.

"Only if you're dumb enough to get caught," she taunted. "By the way, how is your sister?"

"Back to her normal, talkative self," George said, jumping down the last few stairs.

"Except around Harry, of course," Fred added. "She fancies him, you know."

"The whole school knows thanks to Lockhart and his valentines. Poor girl. She's been through a lot. You two should be nicer to her," Mel admonished.

"Oh don't worry," George said, "Ginny can hold her own."

"She'd have to growing up with you two," Mel teased. She saw Angela's parents and waved good-bye to the twins. From her table she watched the Weasley party. She saw Harry, who looked a little thin, as always, but he seemed fine otherwise. She had overheard Tom, the bartender, saying Harry had been at the Leaky Cauldron for a couple weeks. She wondered what had happened. He was supposed to be at his aunt's house.

Angela appeared, stomping down the stairs and huffing as she sat down. "Be glad you don't have a younger sister," she said between gritted teeth.

"Are you two fighting already? You've barely been up two hours!" Mrs. Abbott sighed exasperatedly.

"She keeps stealing my clothes!" Angela said, reaching for the plate of toast.

"All go talk to her," Mrs. Abbott sighed. "Hurry up and eat. We're running late as it is."

XXX

"Hey guys," Lindsey said, entering the compartment. "Did you hear about the dementors?"

"Nice to see you too," Ryan said sarcastically.

"Besides that they let Sirius Black escape and are now searching the country for him?" Cedric asked.

She nodded, "Some are going to be guarding Hogwarts."

"WHAT?" the other five exclaimed at once.

"Why would the ministry allow that? Why would they need to do that?" Mel asked.

"To keep us safe, I guess," Lindsey said shrugging.

"But why would Hogwarts need that kind of protection? It's so supposed to be one of the safest places in the wizarding world," Mel pressed. It did not make any sense. Why would they need to guard the school? Sirius Black did not want anything to with a bunch of underage wizards and witches.

"Well, the past two years haven't exactly been the best example of Hogwarts being the safest place ever," Angela said. Drew and Ryan nodded their heads in agreement. "Plus, it probably has something to do with Potter. I mean Black was one of You-Know-Who's most devoted followers. Maybe he thinks if he kills Potter, he can bring back his old boss."

Mel shrugged, pretending her explanation made sense. She knew Black was innocent, that he was not after Harry at all. He was after someone though, she had seen as much. She just could not tell whom. The visions she kept having were too jumpy, they kept switching back-and-forth between subjects. She was having trouble keeping the separate thoughts straight because of their unfocused nature.

"How safe can they really keep us though? Black's already gotten past them once," Drew added.

"Thanks for that thought," Ryan said sarcastically. "I feel much better."

"So how was your summer?" Angela asked Lindsey, trying to ease the tension that had fallen over their compartment.

"It was fine. We visited my grandparents up north for the greater part of the holiday. How was yours? Did you and Mel have any adventures in France?" Lindsey asked, wriggling her eyebrows suggestively. Mel immediately became absorbed in her book while the boys began talking about quidditch, though they were really listening to everything Angela had to say.

"A bit, yeah," Angela said, smirking. "We spent a lot of time on the beach, made some new friends…."

"What kind of new friends?" Lindsey pushed, grinning from ear to ear.

"You know," Angela said, rolling her eyes. "The good-looking kind that you can have fun with."

The two girls burst into giggles. The boys, all pretense of their own conversation gone, stared at them with wide eyes. They knew Angela was boy crazy, but they did not realize how much. What all had Angela done that summer? What had Mel done?

"Is that true, Mel?" Lindsey asked between giggles.

"Is what true?" she asked, pretending not to have heard the conversation.

"About the—"

But the rest of her words were lost as the train lurched to a stop, throwing them out of their seats. The power cut off, leaving them in total darkness. After picking themselves off the floor or readjusting in their seats, the six Hufflepuffs pulled out their wands, saying "Lumos" as they did.

"What's going on?" Angela said, her voice shrill.

"Dunno," Drew said, his own voice slightly higher than usual. "Why is it getting so cold?"

A few shrugged in response, but no one said anything. They waited in fearful silence for several minutes, alternating between looking at the door and around the compartment. The compartment grew colder, causing Mel to shiver. She felt Cedric reach out and squeeze her hand. She was thankful for his comfort. Even with their illuminated wands, she felt strangely isolated in the darkness. Feeling the warmth of his hand calmed her a bit. She squeezed back and inched a little closer to him, silently thanking Merlin that Angela and Lindsey could not see her.

Suddenly people started screaming around them. Mel felt Cedric tense beside her and tighten his grip on her hand. She also heard Angela's panicked breathing mixed with Lindsey's own trembling gasps. The other two boys were silent, but she saw them raise their wands toward the door. Mel felt her heart pounding and was sure that everyone could hear it.

It was becoming unbearably cold. It did not matter how tightly Mel pulled her cloak around her, the cold just penetrated through her clothing. The screams were getting louder; Mel closed her eyes trying to block out the din. Pictures began flashing before her. She quickly realized they were memories, bad memories. But they were not hers; they were Harry's. She clutched her head in pain, letting out a low moan.

"What's wrong, Mel?" Cedric asked as he helped steady her by the shoulders. But before she could respond, Lindsey and Angela let out high-pitched screams.

"It's a dementor!" one of the boys shouted. Mel could not tell which one. Between the screaming in and out of her head, she was in so much pain that she could not focus on anything else.

Then it was silent. The lights came on, the train started moving, and the air began to warm instantly. Mel's head stopped hurting and she was able to open her eyes. Her friends' faces were pale, a shadow of fear still etched on them. She felt Cedric release her shoulders. She looked at him, his eyes asking if she was all right. She nodded that she was, hoping he would accept that for now. He gave a short nod and looked past her, studying their friends. After a couple of minutes, they all sat down, no one saying a word.

"They're insane," Ryan muttered. "They're going to have those things around the school?"

"Looks like it," Drew said gruffly.

"Why were they on the train? Black wouldn't be here!" Lindsey said, her voice still abnormally high.

"It doesn't matter, they'll look for him anywhere. I don't think they're happy that he escaped," Mel said, surprising herself and the others with her omission.

"Well, I don't care why they were here," Angela said, hugging herself. "I just never want to feel like that again."

"Agreed," Mel and Lindsey said in unison.

The door slid open to reveal the witch who ran the candy cart. She took one look at them and rummaged through her cart for something. She turned back to them, silently handing a handful of chocolate frogs to Lindsey, who was sitting closest to the door.

"You should all eat one. The chocolate will help you feel better," she explained. "We'll be arriving at the station in half an hour."

"Thank you," Angela said. The witch smiled at them, and then closed the door. Lindsey passed them each a chocolate frog, which they all opened somewhat hesitantly. However, after the first bite and warmth flooded their bodies, they eagerly devoured them.

"I told my mum chocolate was good for me," Ryan said. His friends smiled at his weak attempt at a joke. Mel watched the color return to her friends' faces, the effect of the chocolate. She still felt a bit cold. The warmth from the chocolate had not had quite as strong of an effect on her. It was probably due to the fact that images from Harry's mind were still fresh in her mind…as was the screaming. It had been horrible.

"Mel, are you ok?" Angela asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"You're just very pale is all."

Mel shrugged, "I'm fine."

Mel watched her friends converse. They were not really talking about anything important. They were only trying to distract themselves from what had happened, trying to bury it in their minds. Mel and Cedric remained silent. Cedric covertly watched her from the corner of his eye, while Mel's gaze became unfocused as she became more and more engrossed in her thoughts. Angela actually had to shake her to get her attention when they had arrived at the platform.

"You sure you're ok?" Cedric asked her in a whisper as they climbed into a carriage. "I can go with you to the hospital if you want."

"I'm fine," she said, forcing a reassuring smile. He nodded his head, though he did not believe her. She saw the disbelief in his eyes and sighed when he turned to close the carriage door. How could he know her so well? The others easily believed her lies, but he had started to see through them. She had known them all the same amount of time, but only he really knew her. She could not help but feel comforted and worried by that thought. How long could she keep her secret if he started to see through all her lies? How much longer could he handle her not telling him the whole truth?


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. I created Melissa.**

"Miss Evans, would you mind staying after class a minute?"

Mel nodded and motioned for her friends to go on without her. "I'll catch with you later."

"Is something wrong, Professor?" she asked, approaching Lupin's desk.

"No, no," he said, looking up from the papers he was grading. "I just wanted to check and see how you were doing."

"I'm fine. Swamped with O.W.L. work and prefect duties, but fine otherwise. And no, I have not had any more visions since the beginning of the term," she added, seeing the question form in his mind.

They were two months into the school year. During the first week, he had held her after class. They had discussed her "lineage" and just her in general. She had felt a connection to him instantly. It was nice to be able to discuss her secret with someone. Yes, she could discuss it with Dumbledore, but their conversations always felt so impersonal. She always felt better about things after discussing them with Remus. He really had become a father figure to her.

"Well," he sighed, leaning back in his chair, "I think your lack of visions are due to stress from your work load. Worrying about it won't help; it'll just stress you out more. Harry is well protected, so don't worry about him too much either. Do you plan on going to Hogsmeade next weekend?"

"Yes, I always go with Angela, Cedric, and the others," she said.

"You and Mr. Diggory seem very close," he mused.

"He's just a friend," she said quickly, though she felt herself blush.

"Yes, of course," he said knowingly. "You better get going. Don't want you to be late to your next lesson."

"Bye, Remus," she muttered, hurrying out the door.

XXXX

"Cedric! Wait up!"

Cedric stopped on his way to the quidditch pitch and waited for her to catch up to him. She sprinted across the entryway, stopping abruptly in front of him.

"What is it? I need to get to the pitch before the others," he said, watching her catch her breath.

"I have a weird favor to ask you," she panted.

"What is it?" he asked, intrigued now.

"Keep an eye on H—Potter today? I can't explain why, but it's important."

"Er…ok," he agreed, completely confused.

"Thank you," she said, throwing her arms around his neck. She pulled away and gave a quick kiss on the cheek, "Good luck today."

She released and ran into the Great Hall, leaving a very dazed Cedric to make his way to the quidditch pitch.

XXX

"Do you think he's dead?"

"No, Dumbledore did that spell that slowed him down. He never hit the ground."

"But he was unconscious. What if one of the dementors…you know?"

Mel sat on the window seat in the Hufflepuff common room, trying to block out the whispers of her housemates. She was sure Harry was ok. Someone would have told her by now if he was not. However, she could not deny how terrifying it had been watching him fall over five hundred feet. At the time, she was sure her baby brother was dead. Even though she knew he was not, she still could not relax. To top it off, she had not seen Cedric since the game.

At that moment, the portrait hole opened and seven quidditch players entered. Cheers greeted them. Mel noted that they probably would have been louder if the game's events had gone differently. The team looked gratefully at everyone before dispersing. Cedric saw her in the corner and made a beeline for her. She pulled her knees up to her chin, making room for him on the narrow window seat. He sat down, a brooding look on his face.

"You did good today," she said.

He smiled and leaned back against the window. "I asked for a rematch."

"Why?" she asked, taken aback.

"It wasn't a fair win, but," he sighed, "both Wood and Madame Hooch declined. They said it was."

"Leave it to you to be noble. You sure you're supposed to be in Hufflepuff?" she teased.

He gave a weak laugh and turned to look at her, seriousness clouding his eyes. "Failed you though," he muttered. "You knew something was going to happen. Just like you knew Potter wasn't the heir of Slytherin; and just like you knew that something was going on in our third year. How?"

Mel shifted uncomfortably and looked away from him. "I'm not supposed to tell anyone."

"I'll keep your secret."

"That's not what I'm afraid of," she mumbled.

"Mel, when are you going to get it? There's nothing you can say that's going to drive me away. You're stuck with me."

Mel weighed her options. She really wanted to tell him, but she was still afraid of how he would react. But he had promised…

"Come with me," she said, standing up. He stood up and followed her out of the common room, their housemates shooting them curious glances as they did. She led them into an empty classroom and closed the door behind him. They sat side-by-side on the large wooden desk in front of the room.

"What I'm going to tell you will sound crazy, but I promise I'm not making it up."

"You would not be this hesitant over a lie," he said, taking her hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"You can't tell anyone," she stalled.

"Promise."

Taking a shakey breath, she began her tale.

XXX

"So…Potter's your brother?"

"More or less," she said. She was lying across the desk, one arm over her tired eyes blocking out the light of the classroom. They had been talking for two hours. Cedric had had many questions, so it had taken her awhile to explain everything.

"And Professor Lupin is one-fourth of your parents?"

"Again, more or less."

"As are Potter's parents and Sirius Black? And your connection to them allows you to know when they're in trouble or, in Black's case, innocent?"

"Yes and yes, and kind of. I just see things that relate to my 'family.' They mostly deal with Harry because I'm supposed to help him."

"Guess we were wrong," he said after a few minutes.

"About what?" she asked, sitting up and looking at him. His eyes were bloodshot and his hair a mess from him running his fingers through it. He was still in his quidditch robes, which were covered in mud. It was the most disheveled she had ever seen him.

"About you being a muggle born."

"Is that important?" she asked, annoyed and confused.

"No," he shrugged. "Just a fact. Also, your entire family was in Gryffindor and you're in Hufflepuff. Well, all of the Blacks but Sirius were in Slytherin. Still it's odd you're in Hufflepuff. Wonder why that is?"

"No idea. It's one of the many mysteries of the universe," she said sarcastically, causing him to roll his eyes.

"You're a mess, by the way," he teased.

"Have you seen yourself recently? At least I'm not covered in mud," she said. He chuckled and shook his head at her. "So," she began nervously, "are you freaked out?"

"No," he said, looking her straight in the eye to show that he was being honest. "I mean, yes, parts of your past are a bit odd. But, if anything, I understand things better now. Why you'd have those weird episodes in class, why you continue to study Divination, why you asked me to watch out for Potter, it all makes sense now."

"So, you're ok with everything? Even the fact that I wouldn't exist if that spell had never been cast? That one day my visions will go beyond any connections with my 'family'? That I even see the future? None of that bothers you?" she interrogated, searching his face for some trace of fear or judgment. But did not find any.

"No, none of that matters to me. You're still you. All this is…is your background, your heritage. It's a part of you, but it doesn't completely define you."

"Thanks, Ced."

"No problem. I'm glad you told me," he said sincerely. He hopped off the desk and said, "Come on, we should get back. It's after hours."

She nodded and got off the desk. Silently, they walked back to the common room, which was empty when they entered.

"Night, Mel."

"Night, Ced," she said, before turning and climbing the stairs to her room.

XXX

"So where did you and Cedric disappear to last night?" Angela asked. It was late the next morning. Mel had only been up for twenty minutes and groaned when Angela opened the door. She was not in the mood for an interrogation, still exhausted from the night before.

"We just talked. Nothing happened. Please leave me in peace," she said, burying her head under her pillow. She felt something heavy sit on the end of her bed. She moved her head ever so slightly and saw Angela looking very cross at her.

"Mel," she said between gritted teeth. "I'm giving you until the end of Christmas break to tell, or show—which is what I would prefer. You two have the talking down—Cedric how you feel. Everyone can tell that you two like each other, and we're getting tired of waiting for one of you to do something about it."

"Why until the end of break?"

"Because Cedric's going to ask you to spend the holidays with him. You're going to accept. To make sure you do, neither Lindsey or myself are inviting you home with us," she said smugly. "You have no choice."

Mel remained silent, unable to think of a clever retort. She was torn between being grateful and frustrated with her friend. Why were they all trying to control her and Cedric's lives?

XXX

"Come on, Mel. You need to get up, we're meeting the guys soon," Cedric said, standing in the doorway of the guest bedroom. Mel groaned and pulled her covers closer. She was so warm and comfortable; she did not want to get up. "Mel!"

"Go without me. I'm perfectly happy here," she mumbled sleepily. She heard the door creak and thought he had given up. The she was suddenly assaulted by cold air as her blankets were ripped off of her.

"Hey!" she protested, sitting up and glaring at him. "I said to go without me!"

"Yeah, well, we need another player for quidditch. Besides, you don't want to be here when my grandparents arrive," he smirked. "Remember what happened last time?"

Melissa blushed as she remembered: His grandparents, particularly his grandmother, had cornered and questioned her for hours about her, her heritage, her past, and her relationship with Cedric, who had been out with his father at the time.

"Fair enough," she muttered under her breath. She pushed herself off the bed; walked over to the door and said, "Out with you."

"Why?" Cedric asked, dropping the blankets onto the bed.

"Because I need to get dressed, duh. It's a bit too cold to just go out in my pj's."

"But you girls take _forever_ to get dressed," Cedric whined as he half-walked, half-stomped to the door.

"Guess you should've woken me up earlier," she said, laughing at his child-like antics. He heaved a sad sign before running down the hall, probably on his way to a second or third breakfast by now. Mel closed the door, still laughing at him, and proceeded to get dressed. All she really had to do was throw her hair in a ponytail, brush her teeth, and put on several layers of warm clothes. She was actually ready to go in ten minutes.

"It's a miracle!" Cedric exclaimed as she entered the kitchen. Mel rolled her eyes at him and sat down, helping herself to a sandwich.

"What? No comeback?" he teased.

"No, some of use didn't regress to being five overnight," she said. "By the way, be prepared to lose today."

"Excuse me? There's no way that you and Drew can beat me and Ryan in quidditch," he said indignantly.

"Don't be so sure about that," she taunted.

"Whatever. And weren't you just complaining about me acting like a five year old?"

Mel shrugged and began quickly eating breakfast. When she finished, Cedric was staring at her in shock.

"I don't think I've ever seen you, or any other girl, eat that fast."

"Come on," she said rolling her eyes. She grabbed her coat from the hooks by the door and walked over to the fireplace. Cedric joined her, carrying his own coat and some floo powder. She took some powder and threw it into the fire, causing green flames to spring up. She stepped into them and said, "Ryan William's house."

After a few seconds of a deafening roar of air and being suffocated by ash, she was falling onto the wooden floor of the Williams' living room.

"Nice, Mel," Ryan taunted as he helped her up. The fire turned green and Cedric smoothly stepped out of the fireplace.

"Very graceful, Mel," Cedric smirked.

"Shut up," she snapped. "I haven't spent my whole life travelling by floo powder."

"Fair enough, fair enough" Ryan said trying to placate her.

She rolled her eyes at their mocking looks and brushed ash off her clothes. "Where's Drew?"

"In the kitchen, inhaling all the food," Ryan said.

"Let's go get him," Mel said, walking toward the kitchen.

"Someone's in a hurry to lose," Ryan joked.

Mel ignored him and entered the kitchen to see Drew shoveling food into his mouth. The sight was comical, cartoonish even. She could not stop herself from laughing at the sight.

"Merlin, Drew," Cedric exclaimed, "Don't your parents feed you?"

"I'm a growing lad and need to eat a lot," Drew said, swallowing his food. "We ready to play?"

"Yep, Mel _finally _decided to get out of bed."

Mel shot a quick glare at him and said, "Let's just get this over with. I can't wait to see these two mope when we beat them."

"Here, here!" Drew said, jumping out of his chair and running toward the door. The other three laughed as they followed him outside.

XXX

"I can't believe they beat us!" Ryan moaned later that evening. The four friends were back in Ryan's living room huddling under blankets, their coats, mittens, scarves and boots drying by the fire.

"And not just once, but seven times," Mel taunted.

Cedric groaned, "That's enough, you two. It's over. Mel, we all know you and Drew won, quit provoking Ryan. You know he doesn't take losing well."

"Fine," both grumbled.

"Anyone want hot chocolate?" Ryan offered after a few minutes. They all said yes, and Ryan got up and went to the kitchen.

"Mel, how come you've never tried out for the team?" Drew asked.

"I don't know," Mel shrugged. "Never thought about it."

"You should try out for keeper, Goldburg's leaving this year," he encouraged.

"We'll see. My classes keep me pretty busy."

"But we'd be unbeatable!" Drew whined. She and Cedric laughed, though her attention was quickly diverted to Ryan, who was practically skipping back into the room.

"That is _not_ hot chocolate," she said, eying the bottle of firewhiskey with contempt.

"No, it's better!" Ryan said enthusiastically. "Ced and I can drown our sorrows, and you and Drew can celebrate!"

"Come on, Mel," Cedric said, taking two glasses from Ryan and handing one to her. "What're you afraid of?"

She took the glass, accepting his unspoken challenge. Ryan handed a third glass to Drew and then filled all their glasses.

"To quidditch," he cheered.

"To quidditch!" they said, before downing their drinks. Mel coughed a bit as the warm liquid slid down her throat, making her whole body feel warm and tingly. Ryan quickly poured them another and another. Soon Mel was feeling dizzy and light-headed, and was very giggly. Somewhere in the back her mind, she knew she had reached her limit. But the firewhiskey actually tasted good now and she did not think there was a problem. Besides, the boys were not stopping.

XXX

"Mel," Cedric whispered, gently dropping their winter gear to the floor as he supported her. "Do you think you can make it up the stairs?"

"Um, if the floor stops moving."

While it had been a few hours since they all passed out from drinking, Mel was still a bit drunk. Cedric was only a bit better: he knew they had to be quiet, but was not sure why.

"Ok, put your arms around my neck. I'll carry you."

She did as he instructed, and he cradled her in his arms as he slowly made his way upstairs. She laid her on his shoulder and her breathing slowed, making him think she had fallen asleep. He found it difficult to concentrate on walking as her scent enveloped his senses. It had the unfortunate effect of bringing old fantasies to the forefront of his thoughts when he really needed all his focus to put one foot in front of the other. He stumbled a bit, but never feel or lost his grip on Mel. After what seemed like forever, he reached the guest bedroom door, which was, thankfully, opened. He pushed the door open with his foot and walked inside and gently lowered Mel onto the bed.

She groaned and pushed herself up so that she was sitting on the edge of the bed. "Where are we?" she asked, dazed.

"In my house," he whispered. "You're fine, just go to sleep."

"I'm not tired," she said, standing up. She lost her balance and ended up falling against Cedric, who she then used to support herself. "Why is the floor moving?"

"It's not," Cedric said, slightly confused.

"Then why can't I stand?"

"Because you're drunk," Cedric said, holding back laughter. "Get in bed. The floor won't be moving in the morning."

"Fine," she huffed, plopping down on the bed. "But I don't know how I'll be able to sleep in here. It's so hot."

"Take your jumper off then," Cedric said. She tried, and failed miserably. She pulled the bottom over her head, but had difficulty getting it off. Cedric tried to help up, but all her fidgeting made it difficult. When he did end up getting it off, he lost his balance and fell onto the bed next to her. Mel burst into giggles, causing Cedric to clamp his hand over her mouth.

"Shh," he whispered. "Don't want to wake anyone up."

She nodded her head, and scooted closer to him. He rolled himself onto his side and looked at the pretty girl next to him who was fighting to stay awake. Absentmindedly, he noticed that she was wearing a light green tank top, and thought it was silly that she had taken off her jumper: she would get cold later. He sat up and pulled the blankets out from under him, motioning for Mel to do the same. Happy that she would be warm, he leaned against the headboard, staring dreamily into space. An owl hooted outside and caused Mel to shoot up next to him.

"It's ok, Mel," he said. "It's just an owl."

"There was an owl that lived near the orphanage," she said, snuggling next to him and leaning her head against his shoulder. "I used to listen to it until I would fall asleep. Then one night it disappeared. I had trouble sleeping because it was too quiet, and April wouldn't let me open the window because she was scared of monsters. Do you know, I've never heard from her since she left? Or any of the kids for that matter? Victoria writes occasionally, but she's started her own family now."

Cedric, sensing her sadness, wrapped an arm around her as best he could and kissed the top of her head. "I'll never leave you," he whispered, "promise."

She titled her head up so that she could look at him. "I know."

Cedric, thinking this was as good a moment as any, cupped her chin and closed the space between them. The softness of her lips and her warmth were far better than anything he had ever imagined. When they parted, Cedric could see that Mel was exhausted. Grinning to himself, he lay down and pulled her next to him, holding her close. Within minutes both were asleep with the faint hint of smiles still on their faces.

**AN: Just wanted to say a quick thanks to everyone reading this. And to shamelessly beg for reviews. If you have an extra minute, I would love a review or even constructive feedback. K, that's it. Thanks for reading :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.**

Mel snuggled closer to the source of warmth beside her. Through a sleepy haze she wondered what the solid form next to her was. She was half asleep again when she heard it groan. Opening her eyes, and regretting it instantly, Mel saw the sleeping form of her best friend next her.

"Shit," she said, sitting up and leaning against the headboard. "Double shit," she groaned, holding her pounding head in her hands and squinting from the bright sunlight. She groaned again as she leaned over the bedside and opened the nightstand drawer. She grabbed the hangover potion that Angela had given her before break and took a sip. The affects were instant. She was able to open her eyes without being blinded and all the pain was gone from her head. Cedric remained still beside her. His steady breathing was the only sign of life.

"Cedric," she said, shaking him. "Cedric, wake up!"

He moaned in protest and buried himself further under the blankets. Mel could not help but smile as she though of her similar behavior yesterday. However, she found that he had a much better grip on the blankets than she had had and to abandon that tactic.

"Come on, Cedric," she said, punching him in the shoulder. "Just wake up!"

"Fine!" he said, rolling over. "I'm up. What do you want?"

"Really? That's the first thing you have to say to me?" she asked in disbelief. "Have you noticed where you are?"

"Yes, because, unlike you, I did not get completely drunk and remember what I did last night," he smirked.

"Cedric!" she said, slapping his arm. He laughed, sat up, and grabbed both her hands. She struggled against his hold, but his grip was too. She gave an annoyed huff and gave up fighting.

"That's better," he said, releasing her hands. "All that noise could've woken up my parents, or my grandparents."

"Oh dear god," she groaned, hiding her blushing face in hands.

"Chill, Mel," Cedric said, scooting closer to and wrapping an arm around her. "Nothing happened. We're fully clothed. For all they know, we got up early and have just been talking."

"Huh," she said, letting her hands fall form her face and looking at him curiously.

"What?"

"Hufflepuff's golden boy, the model student in all of Hogwarts, _the_ Cedric Diggory drinks and lies," she said in a mockingly shocked tone. "What other poor character traits are you hiding?"

"None," he said, pretending to think about his answer. "Though, I do apologize for not being as perfect as everyone believes me to be. I don't suppose these flaws could stay between us?"

"Only if this does."

"And what is this?" Cedric asked, raising an eyebrow. She gave a small, mischievous smile before leaning in to kiss him. Though initially surprised by her boldness, Cedric responded enthusiastically, shifting them so Melissa was lying on top of him. A door slamming down the hall caused Mel to pull away and look nervously at the door. She listened to the footsteps disappear before turning back to Cedric, blushing.

"So, Jumpy, why are we keeping this a secret?" Cedric asked, trying not to laugh at the skittish girl.

"Because it will drive matchmaker Angela crazy…and I don't want to deal with her smugness or anyone else's."

"Such as?"

"The rest of Hufflepuff."

"Could be fun, but you're going to have to be a lot less jumpy," he teased. She glared at him and tried to push herself off him, but had barely moved when he flipped them over, trapping her underneath him.

"Damn you and your quidditch skills."

Cedric smiled and kissed her. He did not even pull away when his mother knocked on the door.

"Melissa, I need you to get and come help get ready for the party. We have a lot to do today."

Mel pulled away from Cedric, who began trailing kisses down her neck, and said, "Be down in twenty minutes, Mrs. Diggory."

She blushed, hoping Mrs. Diggory did not hear the strain in her voice. As soon as she was sure Mrs. Diggory was gone, she turned on Cedric.

"Cedric!" she said, pushing against his shoulders.

"What?" he laughed, moving to let her up. "You said twenty minutes."

"Because I need to wash so I don't smell like firewhiskey," she said, getting up and picking out fresh clothes.

"What a coincidence, so do I," he smirked.

"Really, is this how you're going to be now?" she asked, smiling despite her annoyed tone.

"Maybe," he said. He moved to the end of the bed when she walked into the bathroom to set her clothes down. She sighed, and then laughed at the "innocent" look he wore when she came back out.

"You need to go," she said, walking over to him.

"Kiss me," he said, causing her to blush again. He stood up, which left only a couple inches between them and said, "Kiss me, and I'll go."

She had to push herself up on her tiptoes to do so, but she complied. She gave him a light peck on the lips and then backed away from him. It was her turn to smirk, "I held up my end."

"Tease," he muttered, walking toward the door, smiling as he did.

XXX

"Everyone's here, how can you _still_ be baking?"

Mel gritted her in annoyance as she put the last pie in the oven. Mrs. Diggory had had her cooking, baking, cleaning, and reorganizing the furniture all day. Her feet were killing. All she wanted to do was sit down and eat.

"Your mother wanted ten pies made, so I made ten pies," she said, her voice strained. "_That's_ how I'm still baking."

"Well, if it helps, they're delicious," Cedric said through a mouth full of food. She rolled her eyes as she set the pie on the counter to cool.

"So what have you been doing all day?" she said, turning around to face him. She grimaced as she watched him shovel food into his mouth. Suddenly, she did not feel so hungry.

"Spent quality time with my grandparents and mingled with the guests. You know, my mum really appreciates your help. Grandmother's not one for cooking and tends to micromanage everything. You've saved her a lot of stress."

"I know," she sighed. "Merlin knows I owe your parents big time. This is the least I could do."

"How many times do we have to tell you not to worry about that?" Cedric asked, lowering his voice to a whisper. Mel shrugged, her eyes falling to the floor.

"You look nice, by the way," Cedric said, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen.

"Thanks," she said, giving a small smile. "So, who all is here?"

"Ryan, Drew, Angela and their families, and some other people," he listed, setting the plate on the counter next to him. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around his waist. "How about I take care of this last pie, and you go get some food and see Angela?"

"You promise you won't burn it?"

"There's a timer, so no, I don't think I will," he said, pretending to be uncertain.

"Promise me, you will not burn that pie," Mel said, her tone and look one of complete seriousness.

"Promise," he smiled. He kissed her forehead and said, "Now go before I change my mind."

"Thank you," she said, relief spreading across her face.

She had not even been out of the kitchen a minute before Angela was at her side, filling her in on all the latest gossip. Mel only half listened as she got some food. No wonder Cedric had volunteered to take care of the pie, Angela's incessant talking had probably been driving him crazy. After she had finished getting food, Angela led them to a slightly secluded corner.

"So," she said, trying to be nonchalant. "I heard you and the boys got a little drunk last night?"

"And?" Mel said.

"Did anything happen between you and Cedric?" she prompted.

Mel took the smallest fraction of a second to compose herself before answering, "No."

"Mel!" Angela yelled, slapping her friend's shoulder out of frustration. "You're running out of time."

Mel laughed, enjoying Angela's annoyance, and said "Angela, you can't set a deadline for these things. They'll happen when they're supposed to happen."

"You two are so frustrating!" Angela said through clenched teeth. Mel laughed again as Angela recomposed herself. "Well, you may want to hurry things up anyways. Cho Chang's here and has been taking every opportunity to flirt with Cedric. He's only been polite, but you can't expect him to ignore her forever. Especially, if you continue to act indifferent to him."

"Really? That's your tactic? Get me jealous so I tell Cedric how I feel?" Mel said, forcing disbelief into her voice. "You must really need that ten galleons."

Angela huffed exasperatedly and muttered, "At least I got a rise out of Cedric. Maybe he'll do something."

It was Mel's turn to sound exasperated. "What did you tell him?"

"Only that I heard Oliver Wood was planning on asking you out once we got back to school," Angela said innocently.

"Why would you do that?" Mel whined, holding her face in her hands.

"I guess I really want my ten galleons," she smirked.

XXX

"We did it," Cedric said, flopping down on the bed. "We survived my grandparents, the guests, preparations, and our friends."

"Don't forget Angela," Mel added, sitting down next to him. Your mother's very odd, by the way. She used magic to clean up after the party, but none to prepare for it."

"I can't explain that. Is Angela not a friend anymore?"

"She's pain, is what she is," Mel sighed. "And a busybody."

"So who likes me?" Cedric asked playfully.

"Half the female population of Hogwarts and probably some of the male population," Mel said, lying down and covering her eyes with her arms. "Angela's chosen example for tonight was Cho Chang."

"So, were you jealous? Worried?"

"Nope," she said, rolling unto to her side to face him. "Heard you were though."

Cedric glared at her, while she giggled.

"You shouldn't have been, you know," she said.

"Why's that?" he asked.

"Wood asked me out—"

"He did? When?" Cedric demanded, his tone slightly indignant.

"Last year. How do you not know this? Drew was there."

"What?" Cedric exclaimed, sitting up. Mel sat up as well, rolling her eyes.

"Can you please calm down? I said no."

"Why?" he asked, his voice returning to its normal level.

"Because it would've been a huge betrayal to my house's quidditch team," she teased. "And, I may have liked you. Just a bit."

"I think you need to spend more time with Angela if quidditch is your first excuse for not going out with a guy," he chuckled. She pushed herself off the bed, but he pulled her onto his lap and kissed her. "So, you weren't jealous at all?"

"Not tonight, no. But if she continues to flirt like that with you, I may be paying Angela her ten galleons sooner rather than later.

Cedric smirked, "Ten galleons?"

"It's her two-year-old bet that we would get together. I won, originally, when it was only five galleons, and then she doubled the bet and extended it to this year. And now she's won," Mel explained. Cedric busted up laughing, causing Mel to stare at him curiously.

"What's so funny?"

"She's been betting and scheming to get us together for years," he said, still laughing. "And all it took was Ryan serving firewhiskey."

Mel giggled a little at the realization. Angela was going to be so pissed when she found out.

"You should probably go to your room," Mel whispered.

"I agree," said Mrs. Diggory, who was walking by the room, causing Mel and Cedric to blush. She kissed him goodnight and slid off his lap.

"Goodnight, Cedric."

"'Night," he said, smiling as he shut the bedroom door behind him.

**Thoughts? Btw, I'm on spring break (FINALLY!), so hopefully I'll be able to crank out some more chapters. I've been writing chapter 10 for weeks. My goal is to finish it and write a couple more so that I continue with weekly updates.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.**

"Why would they do this to us?" Lindsey moaned. "This is cruel. This is inhumane."

"This is what happens when you blow off studying for a whole year," Mel said, trying not to laugh at how dramatic Lindsey was being.

"Shut up, Mel," Angela snapped without glancing up from her notes.

Lindsey and Mel exchanged a look and quietly went back to studying. Angela and her latest boyfriend, Mark Fredrick, had just had a nasty break-up. It was so bad Angela had sworn off men and thrown herself into studies. For the past two weeks, the three girls had spent almost every minute of free time studying. Lindsey was going crazy from the lack of the social life Angela had once provided. Mel did not mind, completely. She liked having the two to study with and was not worrying about the O.W.L.'s as much because of how much studying she had done already.

However, even she was sick of studying and not seeing anyone else. She missed Drew and Ryan and Cedric. She missed how easy and relaxing things were with them. She hated to think it, but it was becoming a chore to be Angela's friend. If they did not watch what they said, they could send Angela into a fit of rage without even trying. It was ridiculous.

Mel chanced a glance at the clock. Repressing a relieved sigh, she began packing her things.

"Where are you going?" Angela demanded.

"Rounds," she said simply. Lindsey glared daggers at her, which Mel returned with an apologetic look. Swinging her bag over her shoulder, Mel said, "See you guys later."

Mel was so happy to not be studying; she hardly paid any attention to her surroundings. Rounds were such a joke anyways. At most, a few of the younger students might be out after hours. Everyone was so afraid of Sirius Black that they were experiencing the highest cooperation rate from students in Hogwarts' history. Mel, who knew Sirius Black was not the threat everyone thought him to be, tried to do her rounds as quickly as possible so she could get some Angela-free time in before she and Lindsey returned from the library.

"You look way too happy for doing such a mundane task."

She stopped and turned around to see Cedric walking toward her

"Sorry," she smiled. "I'll try to be more serious and scared about them."

"Or you could look bored. That's what normal people look like when they do rounds," he said, lacing his hand with hers and giving her a quick kiss. Noticing her schoolbag, he nodded at it and said, "Studying again?"

"Of course. What else would I be doing?" she asked, sarcastically.

"I don't know," Cedric said, copying her sarcasm. "Going to quidditch matches, eating, spending time with your boyfriend."

"First, I have been to _all_ matches this year," she said indignantly. "Second, I do eat. Just recently, I've had a limited amount of time to do so. And I'm spending time with you now."

"We're on rounds," Cedric said, his tone clearly expressed he was not counting this as her spending time with him.

"Only for a few more minutes, and after we still have some time before it's after hours for us."

Cedric stopped walking, pulling Mel backward when he did. "Please do not be teasing me, Mel. You said this the last two times we were on rounds. Then Angela showed up and you ran off to study. How much studying do you need to do anyway? Exams are _two_ _bloody weeks away_!"

Mel, biting her lips so she would not laugh, set her bag against the wall and wrapped her arms around Cedric's neck. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize how this affecting you."

He glared at her. "It's not funny."

"Who said it was?"

"You're a horrible actress."

"I'm sorry," she said, letting a little bit of laughter escape her. "But you were being a little funny. However," she said as his glare deepened, "our rounds are done and I promise not to leave you for studying."

Cedric removed her arms, grabbed her bag, and led them to the nearest empty the classroom. She had barely shut the door before Cedric pulled her to him and began kissing her. She gasped at the fierceness of his kiss. He took the opportunity to lift her onto the nearest desk and loosen her tie. Without thinking, Mel wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him back within kissing range. He kissed her more forcefully than before, his lips quickly moving to her neck. Her thoughts became blurry as she held onto him for support. She shivered when she felt his hand on her thigh just below the hem of her skirt. He lightly nipped her neck as he moved his hand under skirt, causing her let out a quiet moan and blush furiously.

"Mr. Diggory!"

Cedric jumped backward, causing Mel to fall forward off the desk. Thankfully, she landed on her feet and Cedric helped to steady her. She looked up to see a very flabbergasted and red-faced McGonagall standing in the doorway.

"Miss Evans!" She exclaimed, shock evident in her voice. She took a minute to compose herself, during which Mel felt her face redden even more. "Well," she said, her voice slightly shrill, "You two are the last I'd expect to find doing, well, in this situation. You're prefects! You're supposed to set an example for the other students! I'm taking fifty points from Hufflepuff. Go straight to your dormitories and _do not make any detours_."

Mel grabbed her school and hurried past the angry professor. Cedric followed her, avoiding McGonagall's stern gaze. They both walked through the halls as quickly as possible. Once they were a few floors down, Cedric forced Mel to stop and look at him. Silently, he fixed a few pieces of her hair that were out of place and straightened out her collar and tie.

"There," he said, "you look very put together."

"How red is my face?" she asked, giving a small smile.

"Not that red. There's only a cute faint blush left," he said, kissing her forehead. She smiled and linked their hands together. They continued on their way to their dormitory at a slower pace.

"Wait," she said, stopping outside the common room entrance.

"What?" Cedric asked. Smiling mischievously, she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him full on the mouth as the entrance opened behind him.

"Good-night," she chirped before skipping past a frozen Ryan and Drew in the entryway.

"What? When?" Ryan stuttered.

"Tell you later," Cedric said with a silly smile and walking past them. "'Night."

XXX

Mel was stretched out on her bed reading one her divination books. She bit her lip in worry. She wanted to be able to summon visions whenever she needed to and explore them better. The theory alone seemed very complicated. The book said the best way to accomplish this was to enter and takeover the subject's mind. Being anchored in their mind would give her a better chance of summoning their future to her. However, the subject would be a sort of trance while she was doing this. She was going to have to increase how often she practiced using her abilities to be able to even attempt this.

"There you are," Angela said as she and Lindsey entered the room.

"You didn't come back to the library," Lindsey accused, walking to her bed and throwing her books on it.

"Yeah, sorry, I decided to take a break from studying," Melissa said, shooting an apologetic look at Lindsey behind Angela's back. Lindsey glared at her in response.

"Why are there ten galleons on my bed?" Angela said, giving her a confused look from across the room.

"You must've left them there," Mel said.

"I would never leave ten galleons just lying on my bed," she said indignantly.

"You must have," Mel said. "Why else would there be ten galleons on your bed?"

Angela frowned in thought. Mel watched as realization slowly dawned on her friend's face. Angela turned to face her, surprise written all over her face.

"No," she said quietly.

"No what?" Lindsey asked, looking between the two in confusion. Mel was struggling to contain her laughter and look innocently confused.

"When? How?" Angela demanded.

"Angela, what are you talking about?" Lindsey asked.

"I bet ten galleons that she and Cedric would get together by the end of this year," Angela stated.

"No," Lindsey gasped. "Tell us everything!"

"When did it happen?" Angela demanded again.

"Christmas," Mel said, breaking into a grin.

"What?" both girls shouted. Mel had to duck when Angela threw a pillow at her.

"How could you keep this from us!" Angela yelled.

Mel laughed, "Because I hate when you're right and I wanted you to suffer."

"How could I suffer when I didn't know you two were together?" Angela asked as she and Lindsey sat next to her on the bed.

"You're suffering now, aren't you?" Mel asked. "Suffering because you don't know anything."

"Well, why don't you end it and tell us everything," Lindsey suggested, giggling. "After all, you, our best friend, has been lying to us for months now."

Mel laughed at how eager her friends were before telling what had happened at Christmas.

**Please tell me your thoughts! And sorry for the late update. I was traveling today and forgot to update in the the packing, driving, flying. Thank my friend for giving me her wifi password!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**AN: Happy Easter! Sorry this is so short. Chapter 9 is longer, promise! Remember to review, I mean, share your thoughts. ;)**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.**

"Bloody hell," Mel yelled as she threw the giant book against the wall. "You would think, with all the people in this place, I would be able to tap into one person's mind."

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to expel all her frustration. "Come on Mel," she muttered to herself, "you can do this."

She closed her eyes and began searching for a relaxed mind. She had been able to expand her own mind's eye enough to see that of others. At this point, she was able to tell the difference between an active and relaxed mind. Relaxed minds, according to her book, were supposed to be easier to "takeover" than active minds, but she could not get passed anyone's mind's natural defenses long enough to get a firm foothold anywhere.

Mel quickly found a very relaxed mind. This person was so relaxed, they must have been sleeping or spacing out in class. Feeling hopeful, Mel pushed her mind forward. She was extremely, but happily, surprised to meet little resistance. She had almost completely infiltrated the mind when she was distracted by soft, warm pressure against her lips. Her eyes flew open to see Cedric sitting on the ground in front of her.

"I almost had it!" she whined.

"You're still doing that weird body takeover thing, then?" he asked.

"I am not taking over someone's body, just their mind," she corrected in a firm tone. "It'll help me to summon more specific visions."

"Hmm," Cedric said, failing to hide how odd he thought it all was.

"Why are you here anyway?" she snapped.

"I was bored," he shrugged. She glared at him, still upset by his interruption. He sighed dejectedly and said, "Practice on me."

"What?" Mel asked, taken aback.

"Practice on me," he repeated.

"Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah."

"Ok," Mel said, taking another deep breath. "Do your best to relax."

She watched him nod his head and look nervous before closing her eyes. She found his mind immediately, but experienced much more resistance than before. Once she broke through the first couple barriers, his mind became more relaxed. Finally, she pushed through the last barrier and took control of his mind. Wanting to be able to call upon visions that dealt with the future, she began there. It did not work right away. First there was nothing. Then there were swirls of colors, followed by fuzzy shapes and distant sounds. After what seemed like an hour, she was able to get a quick glimpse of his O.W.L scores. Feeling tired, she gently pulled her mind out of his. She opened her eyes to see him blinking in confusion.

"Did you do it?" he asked.

"Yeah," she breathed.

"What did you see?" he asked, scooting closer to her.

"That you'll be very happy with your exam scores," she said. She realized she was out of breath and a little shaky. _Odd_, she thought,_ the book did not say anything about side effects._ "It wasn't much, but it's a start. You ok?"

"Yeah, I just feel like I spaced out there for a bit. Are you ok?" he asked, his eyes and tone full of concern.

"Yes, promise," she added at his questioning gaze. "Thank you."

"Anytime," he smiled, standing up and offering a hand to her. She accepted it. Upon standing, however, she felt dizzy. She immediately turned and used the desk for support, though she tried to hide by gathering her schoolbag and books.

"You sure you're ok?" Cedric asked again.

"Yes," she said turning to face him and forcing a smile. "You worry too much."

"Can you blame me?" he muttered. She chose to ignore this comment as she placed the strap of her bag on her shoulder.

"Shall we go to dinner?" she asked, walking toward the door. Cedric followed her, seemingly lost in thought.

"Did you know about Professor Lupin?" he asked suddenly.

"No, I didn't," she said. "I think something's wrong. I was doing so well with my visions when the school year started, but now…I'm missing things."

"Maybe you're just tired. Plus you've been spending a lot of time on the O.W.L's," Cedric suggested.

"Maybe," she sighed.

"Hey," Cedric said, brightening a bit, "What the chances of normal school year next year? You know, no attacks or monsters?"

"Even without a vision, I can tell you that's extremely unlikely to happen," she said, laughing a little.

Cedric laughed, "Yeah, you're probably right. Ok, so no normal school year. How about a low key summer with one incredible highlight?"

"The first part is definitely the plan as I'll be staying at Lindsey's for the summer. What's the incredible highlight?"

"The Quidditch World Cup," Cedric said.

"Are you serious?" Mel said, stopping in the entryway outside the Great Hall.

"Dad got tickets. You wouldn't be interested in going, would you?" he teased.

"Of course I'm interested!" she exclaimed, looking at him like he was insane for even asking.

Cedric laughed and wrapped an arm around her waist. "I knew there was something I liked about you."

"Oh, shut up," she said smiling, all worries about her visions temporarily forgotten.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.**

"Oh my god!" Lindsey screeched as she stormed into the room. She slammed the door behind her and threw herself on the bed.

"You and Susan fighting again?" Mel asked as she packed. It was proving rather difficult as she and Lindsey had been sharing clothes all summer and they were now all mixed up.

"Yes," she said darkly. "She's such a spoiled little brat!"

"What did she do this time?" Mel asked. She really did not care, but knew Lindsey needed to vent.

"So, remember how she and Hannah were supposed to stay with one of their friends while we were all at the Cup?"

"Yeah."

"Well now all three of them are in a fight and my mum said she could stay with our uncle and his kids. She threw a fit that she would have to go stay with them and said I was siding with Susan if I stayed with Lindsey. So to appease _her_, Mum said we would both being staying with our uncle. It's so unfair!"

"You know, you can probably stay with Lindsey once you get there. Your uncle has five kids, I'm sure he would be relieved if you did," Mel said distractedly. Where was that jacket! "Have you seen my dark green, zip-up jacket? I can't find it anywhere."

"Try the closet?" she offered. Mel walked over to the closet and began searching through the pile on the floor. "You're right," Lindsey continued. "She's just so frustrating!"

"Well, you'll be relatively free of her," she said, shrugging on her newly found jacket. "I think that's it. You'll bring anything I've forgotten to school, right?"

"Yep. You're so lucky," she sighed. "You get to spend the entire time with your boyfriend."

"Still haven't heard from Darren, then?" Mel asked, sitting on the bed next to Lindsey.

"No," she sighed wistfully. "I know his grandfather died, but I thought I might have heard from him by now or might even see him."

"Maybe he'll surprise you and be there," Mel suggested. She doubted it, but she didn't think it could hurt to give her a little hope.

"Maybe."

"Melissa!" Mrs. Bones shouted up at them.

"Looks like your boy is here. Hopefully, Mum's nice to him." Mrs. Bones did not approve of her staying with Cedric while at the Cup, even though she knew Mr. Diggory was going to be there. Originally, Mrs. Diggory was going as well, but she had volunteered to cover a coworker's shift so he could go to the Cup with his children.

"Hopefully," Mel muttered. "Are you going to be ok?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "Need help with your trunk?"

"Yes please."

They each took an end of her trunk and slowly made their way down the stairs. The atmosphere in the entry way was very tense. Mrs. Bones was looking very stern and refusing to talk to Mr. Diggory, who breathed a relieved sigh when he saw her.

"There you are," he said. "I'll take the trunk and you go on ahead through the Floo Network."

"Alright," she said as she and Lindsey set the trunk down. "Thank you for having me, Mrs. Bones."

She nodded her head stiffly, causing her daughter to roll her eyes. "See you, Mel."

"See you."

She walked over the fireplace, threw some green powder in and stepped into the flames. After being choked by smoke and spun around so that she could not tell up from down, she fell to the floor of the Diggorys' kitchen.

"Aren't you ever going to get the hang of that?" Cedric teased, offering a hand to help her up.

"Who knows," she shrugged.

"Dad, beat you back. You're trunk is in the guest bedroom. Is your knapsack packed?"

"Yeah," she said, brushing the ash off her clothes. When she looked at him, she was surprised to see that he had grown a few inches. "Did you really need to get any taller?"

He laughed. "I didn't really have a choice. Come on, you should get some sleep, we have to be up at two."

"Fun," she grimaced, following him upstairs.

"It'll be worth it," Cedric said, taking the stairs two at a time. Mel laughed at him. He was like a five-year-old at Christmas. She doubted he was going to sleep or even needed it.

"Well, I guess we'll catch up tomorrow," she said when they had reached her bedroom. "Good night."

"'Night," he said, kissing her quickly before his Mum came out of her room. Each quickly went to their room and closed the door. Mel got her knapsack out of her trunk and set it by the door. Then she laid out clothes for the morning before stripping to her underwear, throwing on a t-shirt and cotton shorts, and crawling into bed. Despite her excitement, she fell asleep quickly.

"Mel, come on, it's time to get up," Cedric said, shaking her awake. She groaned and reluctantly opened her eyes. "I'm up."

"Get dressed and come downstairs, Mum's got breakfast ready."

As soon as he shut the door, Mel hopped out of bed and got dressed, brushed her teeth, and threw her hair into a ponytail. She then grabbed her bag and head downstairs toward the kitchen. She set her bag down in the corner by Cedric's before she sat down and helped herself to some toast. She grimaced as watched Cedric shovel sausage and egg into his mouth.

"What?" he asked with a mouth full of food.

"Oh, nothing," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Cedric, how many times have I asked you to chew and not inhale your food," his mother scolded as she sat down next to them with a cup of tea.

"More than I count," he smirked. "But this is a special case as we _really_ need to get going and chewing will only slow us down."

"So will you choking to death," Mel quipped. Cedric shot her a glare, which caused his mother to laugh, and continued to eat his food at a slightly slower pace.

"Those two almost ready?" Mr. Diggory shouted from the other room.

"Almost dear," Mrs. Diggory shouted back. "Let them finish eating. They'll need their strength."

"We do have quite the hike before us," Mr. Diggory said, entering the room. Mel finished her toast and drank her glass of milk as Cedric finished inhaling his breakfast.

"Ready," he said, jumping out of his chair and grabbing his bag. His parents laughed and Mel rolled at his childish behavior.

"What about you, Mel?" Mr. Diggory asked.

"Ready to go, sir," she said, standing up and getting her own bag.

"Alright, we'll be off. Good-bye, love," he said, kissing his wife on the cheek.

"Good-bye, dear," she said, smiling. "Have fun you two."

"Bye, Mum," Cedric said as he led Mel outside.

"So, where are we going?" Mel asked.

"I'm not really sure. Dad kind of knows though."

"Great," she said sarcastically.

It was very dark out. Mr. Diggory and Mel provided their light, as Cedric was not of age for another few months. They walked for hours in the chilly darkness before they came upon a small hill. If they had not been walking for so long, the hill would have been an easy climb. As it was, they were already exhausted and the climb left them very winded. They took a break when they reached the top. Once they had rested, they had to search for the portkey, which was going to take them to the Cup. The portkey turned out to be an old, leather, work boot.

"Well, we made great time," Mr. Diggory said, still panting a little. "Now we just need to wait for the Weasleys, they're the only ones left in this area."

Mel sighed in relief as she dropped her bag to the ground and stretched her stiff muscles. Cedric sat on the ground and leaned against a trunk of the tree, motioning for her to do the same. She sat down and snuggled next to him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She laid her head on his shoulder and let her eyes flutter close.

"Can I take a nap?" she asked.

"Hmmm."

XXX

"Get up you two! It's almost time to go."

Mel woke with a start, forgetting where she was. Cedric laughed at her expression. She shot him a glare and pushed herself off the ground.

"You were out," Cedric teased as he got up. He looked behind her and said, "Wow, I always forget how big their family is."

Mel turned to see the Weasley clan walking up the hill. As they neared, she saw Harry was with him. She took her bag from Cedric and they walked over to join the group.

"Amos, I didn't know you had a daughter," she heard Mr. Weasley say.

"I don't, yet," he said with a wink, causing Mel and Cedric to go red. "She's a friend of Cedric's."

Mel smiled shyly at the group. Fred and George gave a curt nod to her, but ignored Cedric. Apparently, they were still upset over Hufflepuff's win over Gryffindor last year. Their bitterness on the matter became even more evident when Mr. Diggory realized Harry was in the group and began boasting about his son beating the famous Potter, which immensely embarrassed Cedric. Mr. Weasley, intentionally or not, saved them by bringing Amos's attention back to the Cup. As they all gathered around the portkey, Mel caught Harry looking at her curiously. It was as if he was trying to place her, though she was pretty sure he had never noticed her before.

Suddenly, there was a force pulling her around the middle. But before she could figure out what was going on, she found herself falling to the ground in a middle of a field. Regaining her bearings, she realized everyone but the Diggorys and Mr. Weasley had fallen on the ground. She pushed herself off the ground, noticing Cedric help Harry up out of the corner of her eye. When he turned to her, she could tell he was fighting back laughter.

"You and gravity just don't get along, do you?" he teased. She rolled her eyes and watched Harry go with the other group. As she watched him, she had an unexplainable feeling that made her think something bad was going to happen.

"You ok?" he asked.

"Yeah," she lied, not wanting him to worry. He was so excited for this match; she did not want to ruin it. She smiled and took his hand in hers.

"Let's go," she said.

**Thoughts?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.**

"Alright, there's some food in the kitchen. So, help yourselves if you're hungry. Cedric, step outside with me for a minute," Mr. Diggory instructed his son.

They left Mel curled up in an armchair. They had just finished putting up the tent, but Mr. Diggory was in a hurry to meet up with his colleagues from work.

"What is it, Dad?"

"Well, er, I," Mr. Diggory stuttered. Apparently, whatever he had to say was making him nervous. "Just…while I'm gone, pretend I'm here with you."

"Ok," Cedric said, unsure of what his father was getting at.

"Just don't do anything you wouldn't do if your mother and I were in the room with you, alright?" he said. His was tone more stern than before, but his face was red.

"Oh, er, right," Cedric said, looking anywhere, but at his father.

"All right, good," Mr. Diggory said, relaxing a little. "I'll see you at the game then."

Cedric ducked back in the tent, hoping he never had a conversation like that with his father again.

"What's wrong?" Mel asked, noticing his agitation.

"Er, nothing," he mumbled. "So how's your summer been so far?"

"Well, if I ignore all the fighting Lindsey and Susan did, then I'd have to say it rather calm and boring," she said.

"No visions?" he asked, sitting next to her. He knew she would not bring them up unless he asked. He knew it was his own fault, but they did worry him. He was secretly thankful she did not have a good hold on her abilities. Who knew what she would do if she did?

She frowned. "No visions…" she said hesitantly.

"Then what?" Cedric asked, sensing the unspoken "but."

"Well, mainly its just been this feeling, like something big is about to happen, but what exactly what that is hasn't been decided yet," she explained, her frustration on the matter becoming evident in her tone. "I haven't been able to practice much or even attempt to figure it out because I haven't had a lot of alone time this summer. But I need to, and I need to do it soon. Maybe this time I can stop whatever horrible thing is before it happens."

"Yeah, maybe," Cedric said, working to keep his face unreadable. He did not want her to know that her figure something out before it happened was the last thing he wanted. He must not have done a good job at it because her light green eyes were staring inquisitively at him.

"You sure everything's fine?" she asked.

"Yeah. I was just trying to figure out was different about you. I think there's more freckles," he teased. She rolled her eyes at him.

"You're so weird," she said, playfully pushing his leg with her foot. He nodded in the affirmative, happy to have distracted her. He moved so that he was hovering over her and said, "It's part of my charm."

"Really?" she asked in mock disbelief as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He smiled and leaned down to kiss her. He was more intense than he had intended to be, but she did not seem to mind. She shivered and her hand knotted in his hair when his hand slipped under her shirt. He felt himself harden as she kissed and nibbled his neck.

"Oi! Cedric! Hope you're decent because we're coming in!" Ryan shouted from outside the tent. Cedric groaned into Mel's neck: his friends really did have the worst timing.

"Shit!" Mel gasped, her facing reddening. "Just think about the conversation you had with your dad earlier," she suggested.

"I'll kill them," he grunted, pushing himself off her. In undertone he added, "That would have been a good instance for knowing the future."

She ignored him as she tried to fix her hair and clothes as Ryan and Drew bounded into the tent. Drew was blushing with embarrassment, but Ryan looked as though Christmas had come early.

"Hope we didn't interrupted anything," Ryan smirked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Cedric glared daggers at him and Mel blushed and muttered something about finding Angela before she half-ran out of the tent.

"Guess we did," Ryan said. "Twice in one day. I'm on a roll today, eh Drew?"

"What are you talking about?" Cedric asked, noticing Drew's blush deepen.

"Oh, nothing really. Our quiet, sweet Drew hooked up with Angela this summer and I may or may not have caught them in a compromising position."

"First, you're far too happy about cock-blocking both your best friends in one day," Cedric said, still glaring. "Second, Angela?"

"It's a long story. I'm not getting into it. She didn't want to say anything until she told Mel and Lindsey," Drew said between gritted teeth and looking anywhere but his friends.

"Fascinating," Ryan said sarcastically. "Now, come on. We have other people to bother."

XXX

"Drew?" Mel said slowly. "Nice, quiet, good boy Drew?"

"Yes," Angela said, a hard edge in her voice.

"I mean, it's a good choice," Mel backtracked, "but—"

"He's not your typical choice," Lindsey interjected. Mel nodded her head in agreement as Angela glared at them.

"I like him," she said defensively.

"And that's good, but," Mel hesitated, thinking about how to phrase what she was about to say.

"But?" Angela prompted.

"You can't treat him like the others," Mel said gently. "He doesn't deserve that."

"I know that, I promise," she said, a hint of pleading in her voice. "I like him… He's nice to me… doesn't have any expectations, you know?"

"Oh, Angela," Lindsey sighed, getting up and giving her a hug.

"I'm fine," she said, gently pushing her away, though smiling gratefully as she did. "We need to go to the stadium," she said, changing the subject. "It's a bit of a walk."

"Well, let's go then," Mel said, taking her friend's hint and jumping up with mock enthusiasm. The other laughed and followed her out of the tent.

"Lindsey, do me a favor," Mel said playfully.

"What's that?"

"Don't get with Ryan, no one deserves that much annoyance in their life," she said, recalling what he done earlier that day as she spoke. They other two laughed in agreement.

"You have my permission to lock me away if I ever do anything that crazy," Lindsey laughed.

XXX

"There you are," Cedric said, pushing his way through the crowd to her. His father was struggling to keep up with him. "We've been looking for your everywhere."

"Sorry," she said as he linked hands with her. "I guess we forgot to set a meeting place earlier."

"Oh good, we have everyone now," Mr. Diggory said, panting slightly. "Right this way, then."

Cedric and Mel bid good-bye to their friends and followed him through the stadium's entrance and up several flights of stairs. They finally reached their box, which was about halfway up and closest to Ireland's side of the stadium.

"So, tell me, did you kill Ryan?" she asked as they sat down.

"No," Cedric said regretfully. "I thought being arrested for murder would put a damper on today's events."

"I suppose you're right," she sighed.

"How's this: we'll enjoy the game and plot against him later?" Cedric suggested as Ludo Bagman started talking above the roar.

"Deal," she smiled.

They turned to the field and watched as the team mascots lined the edges. The Bulgarian mascots were set to perform first. Mel watched as a dozen beautiful women with pale skin that glowed in the moonlight walked onto the field. She was confused: the mascots were supposed to be magical creatures. It dawned on her that many magical beings could take human form. These must part of that group. She turned to ask Cedric and was surprised to see him and Mr. Diggory with their fingers in their ears. She stared at them curiously for a minute before she noticed all the men, and some of the women, around start acting funny. They all looked hypnotized. She turned her gaze back to the field and saw the creature-women were dancing, and most of the stadium was going crazy. There was only one word for what the people were doing: they were preening. They were trying to impress the "women." Mel covered her mouth with her hand, as she was unable to contain her laughter. She laughed even harder when the women stopped dancing and everyone booed their departure from the field. Cedric and Mr. Diggory took their fingers out of their ears looking relieved.

"What were they?" Mel asked, the traces of laughter evident in her eyes and on her face.

"Veela," Mr. Diggory said. "When your mother asks, you'd better vouch for me, boy."

"Yes, sir," Cedric said, smiling as he watched the leprechauns fly around the stadium.

"How did you know to plug your ears?" Mel asked, raising her voice over the din.

"Dad warned me," he said. He leaned over so that he was talking in her ear before continuing. "He thought I'd like to not embarrass myself in front of you."

"How kind of him," she teased.

"Just watch the game," he said, rolling his eyes.

XXX

"Stop pouting, Ryan," Cedric said as he took another drink of butter beer. "You're ruining it for everyone else."

"I just don't understand," he said, staring blankly into the fire. "How could Ireland have beat Krum?"

Cedric, Mel, and Drew laughed at him. They were sitting around the fire outside Drew's tent, celebrating Ireland's victory and watching others do the same.

"Well, Ireland has seven good players and Bulgaria only has one, so the odds were never in their favor," Drew said, a little too happy at his friend's disappointment.

"Maybe Bulgaria's loss is Ryan's fault," Cedric suggested, smirking.

"How's that?" Ryan asked incuriously.

"It's karma for cock-blocking both your best friends in one day," Cedric smirked. Mel rolled her eyes and slapped his shoulder.

"I'm going back to the tent," she said, getting up.

"Oh come on, Mel," Cedric teased.

"Night," she said, walking away.

"Night, Mel," the other two called after her. She was halfway back to the tent when the screaming began.

At first she thought it was just people celebrating, but then she saw tents being blasted out of the way or being set fire to, and then the crowd of people running right at her. Instinct taking over, she turned and ran toward the woods like everyone else. As she ran, she tried to look for familiar faces; but there were so many people she soon gave up and ran faster. When she reached the edge of the forest, she decided it was safe enough and paused to catch her breath. The campsite looked like a giant fire. Who would do this? It could not have had anything to do with Harry, could it? Surely, she would have seen something? As panic gripped her, she decided she had to find Harry and Cedric and make sure they were all right. She began following the others done the path to the stadium, searching as she walked. Her panic lessened when she saw Harry with his friends a few feet in front of her. Seeing that he was ok, she quickened her pace and continued looking for her own friends.

The crowd thinned as she walked toward the stadium. The calm provided by the quietness of her surroundings was overpowered by the darkness of them. The light provided by her wand was just enough to help her not trip over any tree roots or stones. However, looking at the ground while she walked made it difficult for her to search for her friends. She sighed, deciding to head back and see what was going on. If the Ministry had gained control of the situation, she could just go back to the Diggorys' tent.

Suddenly, a bright green light illuminated the sky and forest. Mel froze and stared up at the source. Through the trees she could see a bright green skull with a snake coming out of its mouth. The site of it caused the hair to rise on her arms and neck. What was it? It looked familiar. She was sure she had seen it somewhere before. A book perhaps? Whatever it was, she pretty sure it meant something bad had happened.

"Mel!"

She tore her eyes from the symbol at the sound of her name. She saw Ryan running toward her, a look of terror on his face. He stopped in front her, gasping for breath.

"What happened? Where is everyone?" she asked.

He shrugged. "We got separated. I thought they might have come this way."

"I haven't seen anyone. I was just heading back when that," she pointed up to the sky, "appeared. Do you know what it is?"

"It's the Dark Mark, You-Know-Who's sign. He and his Death Eaters used to place it above any place they had killed or tortured people."

"We have to go," Mel said, grabbing Ryan's upper arm and pulling him with her.

"What? Why?" Ryan asked, still panting slightly. She did not answer. She had to make sure everyone was all right. The way back was difficult; she was not as careful with her footing and tripped several times. Slowly, the woods become more crowded and lit as they neared the edge. Finally, they found their friends huddled together next to a big oak tree. As Mel hurried toward them, she noticed their faces were pale and full of fear.

"Mel!" Angela called noticing her. She ran forward and engulfed Mel in a tight hug. "We were so worried. First, we couldn't find you. Then that _thing_ appeared…."

Mel glanced back up at the sky to see the green sparkly Dark Mark. Again, she felt shivers run down her spine, though she could not explain why. "I'm fine," she said as Angela moved and Cedric took her place. He did not say anything, just hugged her tightly and kept an arm around her waist when they pulled apart. Ryan was hunched over and catching his breath. For being on the quidditch team at school, he was extremely out of shape.

"What happened?" she asked.

"We don't know for sure," Cedric said. "But it looked like some drunk Death Eaters up to their old tricks. While blowing up the campsite, they were levitating and torturing the muggle family that runs this place. We saw them," he explained, indicating Drew and Lindsey.

"It was horrible," Lindsey said, shuddering.

"I just wish someone would come and let us know if it's safe to go back," Angela said. "We lost track of Susan and Hannah in the chaos."

If possible, Lindsey paled even more at this realization.

"I'm sure they're fine," Mel reassured hurriedly. "They probably met up with a group of their friends like you did."

Both nodded, though neither relaxed. They stood there in relative silence, scanning the crowd for familiar faces—mainly Susan's and Hannah's. Eventually, they saw them walk by. Lindsey called them over and, in a very uncharacteristically stern manner, told them to stay put. They obliged, though neither looked happy about it. A few minutes later, Mr. Weasley emerged from the woods with his son, Harry, and a girl. He did not answer any questions, just said no one had been killed and they should all go back to their tents. Mel's group made their way back quickly, breaking apart at the edge of the tents to go their separate ways.

"So that bad feeling you had earlier and wouldn't tell me about, is it gone?" Cedric asked, linking hands with her.

"No," she said grimly. "It's worse."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**AN: I just wanted to say thanks to everyone reading this story. I really appreciate it! Also, this is the last prewritten chapter. I've got up to what was done ahead of time, so there may or may not be weekly updates. Please be patient and don't abandon me! Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.**

Mr. Diggory was already at the tent when they got back.

"Thank Merlin you two are all right," he said, hugging his son.

"What happened?" Cedric asked as they all took a seat at the kitchen table.

"Well, after the mark appeared a bunch of us apparated to right under it. We found Arthur's boy, Potter and their friend underneath. Obliviously, it wasn't them. It looks like it was Crouch's house elf. She was found with Potter's wand, which was used to conjure the mark," Mr. Diggory explained as he slumped tiredly in the seat.

"But how could his elf have known how to conjure the mark?" Cedric asked. "I thought only You-Know-Who's followers knew how to do that."

"I don't know. We didn't find anyone else there…. The evidence is against her," Mr. Diggory shrugged. "Come on, let's get some sleep. We'll leave in a few hours."

Fully clothed, Mel crawled into her cot. She did not realize how tired she was until she laid down. She was asleep in a matter of seconds.

XXX

All too soon, Mel found herself being shaken awake by Cedric. Groggily, she got up, got her stuff and followed him out of the tent. Mr. Diggory came out last. With a wave of his wand, the tent took itself down and put itself in the carrying case. Mr. Diggory picked it up and led them to the portkey station. There was already a line, but they did not wait more than five minutes before getting their own. This time, the portkey took them to the Diggorys' front lawn. They had barely walked in the house when Mrs. Diggory appeared and began hugging them all.

"I was so worried!" she exclaimed, releasing Mel and hugging her son again. "_The Prophet_ came early and—"

"It did?" Mr. Diggory asked, making his way toward the kitchen table where the paper was sitting. "Of course, Rita Skeeter would get the paper to go early, especially with this story. Well, I best change and get to the office," he sighed. "The Ministry is going to be a mess now. As if there isn't enough going on."

"I have to go into work too," Mrs. Diggory said. "Will you two be ok?" she asked, turning to look at Cedric and Mel.

"Yeah," Cedric said. "I'm going to crash for a few hours. We'll worry about food later. Have a good day at work."

His mother kissed him on the forehead and began preparing a quick breakfast for her and her husband. Mel slowly followed Cedric upstairs, just barely able to keep her eyes open.

"You ok?" he asked, pausing outside the guest bedroom.

"Just exhausted," she said, giving a small smile. "'Night."

"'Night."

She closed the door behind her and dropped her bag on the floor. Though she wanted to crawl into bed and sleep forever, she really needed to clean up. Mel walked toward the bathroom and turned on the shower. She stripped her dirty clothes and hopped in. The hot water felt great, though not as great as washing all the dirt off her skin. She washed quickly, the urge to sleep growing stronger by the minute. She dried off and wrapped a towel around herself before going into the room. She threw on a t-shirt and cotton shorts and crawled into bed. In the back of her mind, she thought about taking care of the clothes and towel she had left strewn all over the floor; but, in the end, sleep won out.

XXX

"Hey, wake up a second."

Mel groaned and opened her eyes to a very bright room and Cedric sitting next to her. She yawned and stretched before asking, "What time is it?"

"About two. I just wanted to let you know I was heading over to Drew's for quidditch practice. Mum and Dad are still at work, so you'll be on your own for a bit…. unless you want to come?"

Mel shook her head, "No, I might go back to sleep. And I'll be fine on my own for a bit. I am capable of taking care of myself, you know."

"I know, but with what happened at the Cup…" Cedric said, looking worried. Mel pushed the covers off her and went to sit next to him, taking his hand in hers as she did.

"It was just a couple of drunk former Death Eaters. I promise I'll be fine," she reassured him, kissing his cheek. "You worry too much."

He gave a small, unconvinced smile and got up. "You know where the food is?"

"Yes, sir," she said in a mock serious voice. When he did not smile, she sighed. "I'll be fine. I promise nothing's wrong. Go play quidditch."

He kissed the top of her head before he left the room. She sighed and listened to his retreating footsteps. What was his problem? No one had been seriously hurt last night and she had not had a vision. If he could go play quidditch, it could not be that serious, right? Her stomach growled loudly, interrupting her thoughts. She pushed herself off the bed and made her way to the kitchen, brushing her slightly knotty hair with her fingers as she walked. Mel grabbed an apple out of the bowl on the table and walked over to the sink to wash it. As she washed it, she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. She looked up to see a large, black, shaggy dog standing in the backyard. Curious, she turned off the sink and went outside.

There was something about the dog she could not place. It was an odd animal. It did not run toward or away from her as she walked toward it, nor did it wag its tail or bear its teeth. Instead, it seemed to be waiting for her. When she was within a few feet of it, the dog began walking toward a patch of trees. The dog paused, as if to see if she was following, and continued walking when it was sure she was. However, when she reached the shaded area, she found a man instead of a dog. The man was thin, pale, in shabby robes and his black hair and beard were a bit wild. Despite his current appearance, she could tell he was once quite attractive.

"I can see by your lack of fear, you know the truth about me…and about yourself?" Sirius Black asked her. Mel nodded, looking around to make sure they were alone.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, slightly panicked. "If someone sees you—"

"They won't," he said confidently. "No one's home but you, and the nearest family is three miles away. Rather irresponsible of them to leave you alone given recent events," he added disapprovingly.

"I can take care of myself," she said defensively. "Besides, Voldemort and his Death Eaters don't even know I exist. How did you know I was here?"

"Dumbledore," he said simply. "Oh, how I wish we were meeting under better circumstances. Remus has told me much about you, of course, but that's just not the same. From what he and Dumbledore have said, I can honestly say Lily and James would be as proud of you as he and I are. Though, I don't think any of us are too happy about you spending so many holidays with your boyfriend," he added sternly.

Mel blushed, "My friends and I alternate where I go, but I don't have many options…. Why did you come here?"

"Because of this," he said, showing her a folded up piece of parchment. "Harry sent it to me a few days ago. I haven't known what to write back as neither Dumbledore nor I can tell how serious it really is. I was hoping you could help."

Mel took the letter from him and began unfolding it. She was not sure how she could help. Was she supposed to understand some hidden meaning in Harry's words? Or spot something between the lines? As she finished opening it, she was hit with such a force she stumbled backward. When she came back, she found Sirius supporting her.

"What happened?" he asked worriedly. "Are you all right?"

She nodded and lowered herself to the ground. Pushing some hair out of her face, she took a moment to compose herself and process what she had just experienced and seen. Then she read the letter:

"_Dear Sirius,_

_ Thanks for your last letter. That bird was enormous; it could hardly get through my window._

_ Things are the same as usual here. Dudley's diet isn't going too well. My aunt found him smuggling doughnuts into his room yesterday. They told him they'd have to cut his pocket money if he keeps doing it, so he got really angry and chucked his PlayStation out of the window. That's a sort of computer thing you can play games on. Bit stupid really, now he hasn't even got_ Mega-Mutilation Part Three _to take his mind off things._

_ I'm okay, mainly because the Dursleys are terrified you might turn up and turn them all into baths if I ask you to._

_ A weird thing happened this morning, though. My scar hurt again. Last time that happened it was because Voldemort was at Hogwarts. But I don't reckon he can be anywhere near me now, can he? Do you know if curse scars sometimes hurt years afterward?_

_ I'll send this with Hedwig when she gets back; she's off hunting at the moment. Say hello to Buckbeak for me._

_Harry."_

_**(Excerpt from "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" pages 24-25)**_

"What is it?" Sirius prompted, growing more concerned by the second.

"He omitted information about his scar. He had a dream about Voldemort. He saw him with Peter Pettigrew and another man. They were plotting about bringing Voldemort back—I don't know how," she added at his questioning look. "More importantly, they were talking about getting to Harry. They didn't try it at the Cup because of the Ministry presence, but it sounds like they have a plan. It sounds like they have someone on the inside. Sirius, they're going to try to kill him."

Sirius paled at her words. "Did you see anything else? Where they might be? How they plan on…?"

"No," she said, her heartbeat speeding up from panic. "But if you let me have this letter, I might be able to use it to find out more."

He nodded and sat in the ground next to her. They sat in silence as they absorbed what they had just learned.

"You should before they come back," Mel finally said, nodding at the house as she spoke. Sirius nodded numbly and stood up.

"Will you be ok?" he asked, helping her up.

"If I can figure this out before it's too late, yes."

"Don't push too much pressure on yourself," he said, engulfing her in a tight hug.

"Trust me, it's just the right amount. Will you write Dumbledore? It'll look suspicious if I do it," she said, hugging him back. "I promise to pay closer attention to Harry, too. Try to warn him in your letter. Don't scare him, just have him be on his guard."

"Remus was right," Sirius said, letting go. "You are very much like Lily."

"You should go," Mel repeated, slightly uncomfortable. Lily, essentially, was her mother, but itwas weird to be compared to her or any of them for that matter.

"I'll do everything you asked. Take of yourself," Sirius said before transforming. She watched him disappear into the woods and vaguely wondered where he would go. Mel then made her way back into the house, grabbed her apple off the counter and went straight up to her room. She pulled out her pile of divination books and threw them on the bed. She placed the letter under the clock so it would not get blown away and settled down to begin her research and practice.

XXX

Mel was still working when Cedric got back from practice. He was surprised to see the house so empty. His parents must still be at work. He walked up the stairs and dropped his quidditch gear in his room. Noticing the open door and light, he walked across the hall to Mel's room. He found her sitting on the bed pouring over a pile of books.

"What're you doing?" he asked, walking into the room and lying across the foot of the bed.

"Practicing," she said without looking up.

"Why?"

"The same reason you practice for quidditch, because I need to," she said, reaching for a book. Cedric sighed and sat up.

"So this is just practice? You didn't see anything that brought on this sudden need to practice?" he questioned, growing slightly irritated. He had seen her practice, and it had never been this intense before. How oblivious did she think he was?

"What did you see?" he demanded when she neglected to answer his previous questions. She sighed and closed the book she reading.

"You're not going to like it," she warned.

"Just tell me."

"Fine," she sighed. "I had a visitor and he gave me a letter. I had a vision when I touched the letter, and now I'm trying to figure out if I can recall that vision and get more information when I do."

"So, who came and what did you see?" he asked, easily catching on to her omission.

"Er, a family member came and the vision was about another family member. Are you hungry? I am. Let's go see what there is to eat."

She sped toward the kitchen so fast, Cedric had a bit of difficulty keeping up with her. His pride blamed it on very little sleep and a full day of quidditch practice.

"Ok. So, I'm taking it that Lupin came to see you and Harry's in some sort of danger?" he questioned, folding his arms across his chest and glaring at her.

"Hmm…"

"Mel, stop lying to me," he demanded.

She sighed and spun around to face him. Lowering her voice she said, "Fine. Sirius came to see me. He wanted me to have a look at a letter from Harry. When I touched the letter, I got a vision…it was more powerful than anything I've ever experienced. It was horrible… I still can't believe what I saw."

"Which was?"

"I saw…." She took a deep breath and then spoke in a whisper, "I saw You-Know-Who and two of his Death Eaters plotting to bring him back and to kill Harry. I don't know how or when, all I know is they have someone on the inside. This is why I've been looking through my books all day. I've been trying to find something to help bring the vision back, so I can slow it done and try to catch something. I just haven't found anything yet…"

She finished her explanation looking extremely helpless and worried.

"You need to be careful," Cedric warned. "I've seen the toll your visions take on you. And I've done research of my own. Most Seers go mad, especially the ones who push the limits of their abilities."

"I don't have a choice! If I don't try, then Harry could die or You-Know-Who could come back. Besides, I'm not pushing my limits," she said defensively. "I have these powers. I'm just learning to use them."

"I know!" Cedric snapped, losing control of his temper. "I know that you're different than all the other Seers. But you're still human! You and your powers are limited by that!"

"Well, what am I supposed to do?" she yelled at him. "Let him die? Let the most powerful dark wizard come back?"

"I don't know!" he yelled back, running his hand through his hair in a frustrated manner. "I just…just don't want _you_ die in the process," he said, his voice softening. He hung is head in defeat and out of shame for yelling at her.

She walked toward him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and buried her head under his chin. He tightly wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm not going to die. The side effects are mostly just headaches or dizziness. They fade quickly and haven't increased in intensity. I'm not going to go crazy, or die from this. Promise."

Cedric nodded and held her tighter. "I'm sorry," he mumbled into her hair.

"Me too. I told you you wouldn't like it," she added, jokingly.

"I guess I should listen to you more."

"I guess you should," she said, giving him a small smile as she pulled away. "Now, what should we eat? I really am starving."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**AN: Sorry for the wait! Finals will really eat into your free time. Thankfully, they're over! Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and that it makes up for the long wait. I will try to update weekly again, but I can't promise anything.**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.**

"Why does it always seem to rain on September first?" Cedric asked, pushing his wet hair back.

"Because our mothers are sad at our departure, so their sadness is reflected by the weather," Ryan joked.

"If that's how it works, shouldn't your mother's joy of being rid of you overpower all this?" Drew said, smirking. Ryan glared at him and punched him in the shoulder.

"Shut up," he muttered. "So, have either of you figured out what this big, secret thing that will be happening this year? Mum and Dad kept talking about it, but I never heard anything specific."

"Nope, just a bunch of vague conversations about how exciting this year is going to be," Drew said.

"I've only heard about it from you two. My parents haven't said a word about anything," Cedric said.

"Yeah, well it's not like you would have heard them if they did," Ryan muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cedric asked.

"You have a tendency to miss things when she's around," Drew joked.

"Like your any better when Angela's around," Cedric muttered.

"You better be decent because we're coming in!" Angela called, sliding the compartment door open. Mel and Lindsey followed her in, both rolling their eyes.

"Do tell, what would you have done if we weren't?" Ryan asked as the girls sat down. Drew kicked Ryan in the shin while Angela smirked.

"So, do you two know anything about this secret event?" Cedric asked Angela and Lindsey. He noticed Mel start rubbing her temples. She had been having horrible headaches lately. He knew they were caused by how hard she was pushing herself and her abilities, but she refused to admit it or take a break. There was no doubt in his mind that she would start practicing as soon as she got to the dormitory that night. He wrapped an around her and let her lean against his shoulder.

"Nothing," Lindsey said and Angela shook her head. "You ok, Mel?"

"Yeah," she said. "It's just a headache."

Cedric clenched his jaw. He hated how she acted like these side effects were nothing. He knew their friends could not know the truth, but she used the same excuse for him—and he knew the truth. Cedric was debating whether or not he should go to Dumbledore with his concerns. She would be furious, but maybe Dumbledore could make her take the risks to herself more seriously.

XXX

The castle was buzzing with excitement as all the students made their way from dinner to their dormitories. Mel was having more difficulty than usual in directing the new Hufflepuffs to their dormitory: They were so distracted by the prospect of the Triwizard Tournament that they could barely pay attention to where they were going. She sighed; the first years were going to be even more lost than usual tomorrow. Finally, they arrived at the Hufflepuff common room, where she quickly directed the first years to their rooms before going to her own.

"There you are," Angela said as Mel entered the room. "We thought you got lost."

Mel rolled her eyes and began changing into her pajamas. "I kept having to go back for kids," she explained, pulling on a pair of thin, grey, cotton pants and an old light green t-shirt. "It would have been easier if Cedric had been there, but he disappeared as soon as dinner was over. Did either of you happen to see him?"

"No," Angela said and Lindsey shook her head. Mel caught them exchange a peculiar look.

"What is it?" she asked, sitting on the end of her bed, facing both of them.

"Well," Angela started, hesitantly. "Is…is everything ok between you and Cedric?"

"What?" Mel asked, taken aback.

"We just mean," Lindsey jumped in, "things seemed a bit tense on the train today."

"Yeah, everything's fine," she said, even though they were not. Things were tense, but it was not like she could tell her friends the reason why. "My headaches have just been more frequent as of late, and he has a lot of pressure from home…."

"Well, if everything's ok..." Lindsey trailed. "It's strange his mum could not help you out there."

"It is, promise," she lied. "And she has not been home much as of late. I didn't really want to bother her with them; she's done so much for me. I hate to bother her something so silly. I'll just go to Madam Pomfrey tomorrow and see if she can make that potion for me like she did a few years ago."

"Well, now that that awkward conversation is done," Angela said, bouncing on her bed. "I have some huge—"

A loud knock on the door interrupted her. The girls looked at the door curiously, no one ever knocked. Lindsey called out to whomever it was to come in. A blonde second year stuck her head tentatively into the room.

"Hi," she said quietly. "Cedric Diggory asked if Mel would meet him in the common room."

"Oh, ok," Mel said, uncertainly. "Thank you?"

The girl, now blushing, nodded her head and quickly closed the door. Mel exchanged a confused look with her friends.

"What do you think…?" Lindsey started.

"No idea," Mel muttered.

"Well, you best go down and find out," Angela said.

"Ok," Mel said, still unsure of what was to come. What a time for her foresight to be absent. "No gossiping without me."

"Of course not," Angela said in mock-horror.

Mel made her way down the staircase, receiving several glances from the younger girls as she did. When she reached the common room, she saw Cedric fidgeting in the corner by the window. She walked over to him. When he saw her, he seemed to get even more nervous.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"You don't have your wand with you, do you?" he asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"No," she said slowly, crossing her arms and looking at him curiously. "Why?"

"Don't be mad," he started.

"What did you do?" she asked, her tone hard.

"I may have voiced my concerns about certain new side effects caused by your ability," he said.

"So, you did exactly what I asked you not to do," she snipped.

"Yes, because I believe your health is important—as does Dumbledore," he said firmly but in a low voice so no one could overhear him. "Besides, you're no good to Harry if these side effects end up hospitalizing you."

"I can't believe you did this," she hissed, glaring at him with more anger than she had ever felt toward him.

"I'm sorry that I prefer you alive and sane," Cedric snapped. "Dumbledore will meet you in the his office after breakfast tomorrow. Good night."

He tried to push past her, but she stepped in front of him and pushed him backward. It was Cedric's turn to glare. He was about to say something, when he noticed they were drawing an audience. He took by the hand and led her outside the portrait hole.

"Let go of me," she snapped, yanking her arm free. "You do not get to do this! You cannot make decisions for me like I'm a child. You are my friend and boyfriend, _not_ my parent!"

"I know that!" he yelled. "But you do realize that I am one of a handful of people who knows the truth about you? And of those people, I am the only one who actually knows what goes on in your life on a day-to-day basis? As much as Lupin and Black may care about you, they're not here. So I will look out for you _as_ your friend and boyfriend because _I am here_!"

Silence fell between them. Cedric used it to regain some composure, while Mel began to fidget and avoid eye contact with him. She knew she was overreacting, and that he was right. She also knew that she had probably hurt him because she had been shutting him out. It was just that she hated feeling like she was not in control of her powers. Mel was also annoyed that he made more sense than she did at the moment.

Taking care to control his tone, Cedric said, "Did you ever think that if you can get rid of, or lessen, the side effects, it might help you to improve your abilities?"

"No," she muttered. "I'm sorry I snapped. I'm sensitive about my ability, and I'm used to looking out for myself."

She turned to leave, but he reached out and grabbed her hand.

"I'm not apologizing for what I did," he said, causing her to frown slightly. "I believe what I did was right. Also, I've been looking out for you for a while now."

"I don't care how reasonable you're being, I'm still mad at you," she said. "Not only did you go behind my back, but, instead of talking to me, you've spent the last three days clenching your jaw and ignoring this whole issue."

"That's because you refuse to listen to anything I have to say," he said, matter-of-factly.

"You're impossible," she said, rolling her eyes.

"I could say the same about you," he said, pulling her to him. "So, how long are you going to stay mad at me?"

"I don't know," she said, contemplatively. "I guess we'll just have to see how my meeting with Dumbledore goes tomorrow. Good night."

She turned and went through the portrait hole, leaving a frustrated Cedric in the hallway.

XXX

Mel sat in a chair across from the headmaster's desk. She was bouncing her foot nervously and chewing her lip as she waited for Dumbledore. She really did not want to hear what he had to say on the subject. She was sure he would side with Cedric. Then she would have to live with him being smug for who knew how long. Besides, she doubted there was anything that could be done for the side effects. It was not like there were a lot of people in her situation.

She heard the door open behind her, and turned in her seat to see Dumbledore walking in.

"Good morning, Miss Evans," he said, sitting across from her.

"Good morning, sir," she said, shifting nervously.

"I understand that you've been experiencing some ailments as of late," he said, studying her over the tips of his fingers.

"Just some headaches and lightheadedness, sir. It's really nothing," she said, working to her voice light. "They've just been a bit more frequent because I've been practicing more."

"Ah yes. You are trying to find how Voldemort plans on getting to Harry. Have you seen anything?"

"No, just the same thing I saw over the summer," she said, a small bit of disappointment creeping into her voice. She dropped her eyes as silence fell. She was upset with herself for not progressing any further in several weeks. She also felt like he could see into her mind. He sat in thought for several minutes, gazing in her direction but not really at her.

"Miss Evans," he said after several minutes. She raised her eyes, a little startled to him speak after the silence. "I want you to take a break from practicing for a few days. It could be that you are so intent on finding something that you are actually preventing yourself from seeing it."

"But Harry—"

"Will be fine," he said firmly. "The staff is always keeping an eye on him. It'll do you some good to not have any headaches or dizziness for a few days. Perhaps things will be clearer after a break."

"How long?" she sighed.

"Two weeks," he said.

"But, sir!"

He held up a hand, silencing her protests. "Two weeks," he repeated.

"Yes, sir," she said, standing up. "Is there anything else?"

"No, you may leave," he said kindly.

"Thank you, sir."

She left and made her room to the third floor for Charms. She was about fifteen minutes early, but wanted the time to herself to calm down. Two weeks and she could not practice? What would that mean for her abilities? While she had not made any progress regarding Harry, her abilities had grown and strengthened exponentially. She was worried two weeks off would hurt her progress, or cause her to regress. _Stupid Cedric_, she thought, _butting in where he shouldn't. I swear I could kill him right now._

"You're going to chew your lip raw."

Cedric slid onto the bench next to her. She shot him glare, and then became very interested in her textbook. He sighed and slumped into the bench.

"So what did Dumbledore say?" he asked, pretending she was not ignoring him. She placed her book on the table before digging a roll of parchment, quill, and ink well out of her bag and placing them on the desk next to the book.

"So you're still mad at me then," he said, rolling his eyes. "That's fine. It just means I was right."

She gritted her teeth at his smugness. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and saw him smirking and looking pleased with himself.

In a strained voice she said, "I'm not supposed to practice for two weeks."

"You've gone a few weeks without practicing before, it didn't hurt you."

"It set me back in what I was able to do, as will this," she snapped. "Not to mention, Harry's life is still in danger."

"Harry's life is always in danger," Cedric said, lowering his voice as more students entered the room. He had also lost his smugness. "Nothing is going to happen in two weeks. And you don't know if it'll set you back or not."

She started to say something, but stopped as Professor Flitwick and a bunch of students walked in the room. Mel could barely focus on the lesson. All she wanted to do was get out of this classroom, though why she could not explain even to herself. She was not mad at Dumbledore or Cedric, not really. In fact, she was pretty sure she was not mad at all, but she could not explain what she was feeling.

After what seemed like forever, Flitwick dismissed them. Despite her desire to run out of the classroom, she gathered her things slowly. She noticed Cedric waiting for her. She wished he would go away; all she wanted was some time to herself.

"Mel," he sighed, looking apologetic.

"Just stop," she said, her voice higher than usual. "I can't do this right now."

She turned and quickly walked out of the room. Cedric sighed, picked up his bag, and followed her out.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**AN: Yay! Early update! All this free time has been great for my writing. Already on chapter 15. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.**

"Where is she?" Angela demanded, loudly dropping her bag as she and Lindsey sat down for dinner. She was glaring pointedly at Cedric.

"Who?" Ryan asked, looking at her wearily.

"Mel," Angela said, keeping eye contact with Cedric as she sat down. "No one has seen since Charms this morning, during which she looked very upset. So, where is she and what did you do?"

"I don't know where she is because I haven't seen her since Charms either," Cedric said politely. "As for what happened, it's none of your business."

"Well, I'm making it my business," she snapped. Ryan and Drew shifted uncomfortably and became completely interested in their food. Lindsey kept her eyes down and scooted a few inches away from the group.

"Leave it alone," Cedric warned.

"I will not," she said hotly. "Either tell me what you did so I can fix it, or get up this minute, go find her and fix it."

"Did it ever occur to you that she may not want to talk to me?" Cedric asked, extremely annoyed that he was now fighting with Angela. It was the first day of classes, how many fights was he going to get into?

"I would go find Mel," Drew muttered. "Angela's very good with jinxes, especially those that require a potion and countercurse to get rid of."

Cedric gritted his teeth and got up, grumbling fine under his breath. No, he was not innocent in his fight with Mel, but he was not the sole cause of it either. He sighed and leaned against the corridor wall.

"How am I supposed to know where she is?" he muttered to himself. He thought about checking the library, but dismissed the thought. Angela would have already checked there too. It took him about five minutes before he realized where she was. He slapped his forehead when he realized it, feeling dumb about how long it took him to do so.

XXX

Mel sat on the floor of an empty classroom, leaning against a desk. Her eyes were red and puffy, her nose snotty. She had run to the room after Charms and been there the whole day. She had only started crying in the last half hour. The rest of the day had been spent looking through her Divination books and notes about her own visions. She had said she would not practice, but she did not promise she would stop trying to figure out Voldemort's plan or researching new ways to summon visions.

The door opened, revealing Cedric, who was visibly relieved when he saw her. She groaned and pulled her knees to her chest. Mel really did not want to talk to Cedric right now. They would probably just end up fighting again.

"Hey," he said, sitting down next to her.

"Hey," she mumbled, avoiding looking at him.

"Been here all day?"

"Yeah. How did you know I'd be here?"

"It took me awhile," he said. "So, why are you hiding here?"

"Because I feel really stupid," she said, sniffing a little.

"Tell me," he said, nudging her shoulder with his forehead.

"I've been terrified since I had that vision this summer," her voice breaking a little. "All I can think about is finding a way to save Harry. But I haven't made any progress…and you're always worrying about how my abilities affect me…it's all very overwhelming and frustrating! But most of all, I'm afraid I won't figure out You-Know-Who's plan and Harry will get hurt."

Tears were starting to fall again. She wiped her eyes quickly, and gave Cedric a weak smile. He smiled back at her and reached for a blank sheet of parchment next to her. He pulled out his wand and muttered a few words, turning the parchment into a handkerchief.

"Thanks," she said, taking it from him. As she cleaned up, she said, "Sorry I've been so difficult lately."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. "It's ok. I didn't really help. I may have been a bit irrational and overprotective…. So what have you been doing all day?"

"Researching, thinking, skipping classes," she rambled. "I'm a little worried about that last one now that I think about it."

"I have a feeling you may have been excused for the day," Cedric said. "None of the teachers found it odd that you weren't in class."

"Well, that's nice," she shrugged. She groaned, "What am I going to do?"

"Take two weeks off, focus on classes, relax a bit," Cedric suggested.

"Classes should be easy. Relaxing is going to be rather difficult, I think," she sighed.

"Oh, I can help with that," Cedric smirked. He stood up and offered his hand to help her up.

"Really?" she asked, faking doubt and taking his hand. He helped her up and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her as he did.

"Oh yeah," he said, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. "I've been told I'm rather good at it too."

Mel rolled her eyes, but laughed a bit. "Just kiss me, you idiot."

"As you wish," he whispered before doing as she said.

XXX

It was an unusually hot day for late September, and the students were taking full advantage of it. Most were lounging around the grounds; some were splashing in the shallow end of the lake. The quidditch players had agreed to take turns using the pitch. The Hufflepuff players had just finished drills.

"I don't see why we have to practice," Drew said as he landed next to Cedric and Ryan. "We're not even going to get to play."

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't practice," Cedric said, swinging his broom over his shoulder. "If we practice like it's a normal year, then we'll be in good shape for next year."

"Will we keep practicing if you or anyone else is selected for the tournament?" Ryan asked, panting a little and red in the face.

"I don't see why not," Cedric said. His friends, and other team members that had been eavesdropping all groaned. "Hey! It's for the good of the team!"

"Whatever," Drew grumbled.

Cedric rolled his eyes. "You guys did good today, and you're free to go."

Some of his teammates headed for the locker room, while others made their way to the castle. Cedric had noticed the girls sitting near the lake and decided to head over and see them. But when he turned to go in the direction of the lake, he nearly fell over someone.

"Whoa, sorry," he said, taking a few steps back and regaining his balance.

"No, it's fine," Cho Chang said, pushing some hair out of her face. "Oh, hey Cedric. How are you?"

"Fine. And you?" he asked. Cedric noticed Ryan and Drew watching them rather closely. He shifted uncomfortably: Ryan was wearing his up-to-something look. He had a habit of blowing things out of proportion. Plus, he loved to irritate as many people as possible.

"Oh, same as always," she said, smiling. She twirled her hair nervously as she spoke. "Is it true you're going to enter in the tournament?"

"I was thinking about it."

"Well, I think you'd make a champion," she flirted, turning rather pink.

"Er, thanks. Well, I need to be going," he said, side-stepping.

"Me too, practice. Bye," she said, waving enthusiastically as he walked away.

Cedric gave an awkward wave. He had to jog a bit to catch up with his friends. When he did, Ryan was wearing a giant smirk and Drew was making a point to avert his eyes.

"So, how is Chang?" Ryan asked.

"I don't know, fine, I guess."

"Hmmm."

"Don't cause problems," Cedric warned.

"Wasn't planning on it," Ryan said, innocently. Cedric groaned, swung his broom off his shoulder, and hopped on it. He only flew a few feet off the ground, but it was relaxing all the same. Apparently, he had been a bit too quiet because he startled the girls when he flew up next to them.

"Don't do that!" Angela said, throwing a crumpled up piece of parchment at him. There were books and parchment scattered about them. It looked like they had attempted to get some homework done before sunbathing.

"How was practice?" Mel asked. She was lying on her stomach in a pair of black cotton shorts and light purple tank top. The sun was causing her dark hair to have a red glint.

"Good," he said, dismounting from his broom and sitting next to her. "So, I've been thinking more about entering."

Both Lindsey and Angela looked at Mel nervously before becoming engrossed in their textbooks. Mel sighed and sat up to face him.

"And?" she asked.

"What do you mean, and?" he asked surprised by her one-word response.

"What did you decide?" she asked.

"I haven't decided anything, but I really want to enter," he said, narrowing his eyes. "Why aren't you fighting with me?"

"I've told you I don't think it's safe, but it's not my decision," she said.

"You're banking on the fact that a bunch of people will enter, thus narrowing my chances, aren't you?"

"Maybe," she said, biting her lip.

"You're awful," he said, giving a crooked grin.

She shrugged. "I know."

"Hey guys!" Ryan said, flopping down next to Mel. "How we all doing?"

"What are you doing?" Mel, Angela, and Lindsey asked in unison. Cedric laughed at how easily they could read him.

"Nothing," Ryan said, looking hurt.

"Don't trust him," Drew said, sitting down next to Angela. "He's going to blow a brief conversation Cedric had with Cho out of proportion to try to piss Mel off."

All five glared at Ryan, who suddenly became interested in a cloud.

"How insecure do you think I am?" Mel asked, turning so that she was sitting face-to-face with Ryan.

"I don't. I just like to get Cedric into trouble," he shrugged. "It's such a rare occurrence, and it only really bothers him if he's in trouble with you, so…."

"You need a life," Mel said, shoving him so hard so that he fell over. Everyone laughed as he pushed himself up. Cedric scooted closer to Mel and kissed her on the top of her head.

XXX

"I hate trying to throw off that stupid Imperius Curse," Lindsey groaned as she sat down for lunch. "I'm always so sore after."

"Aren't we all?" Mel muttered, sitting next to her. No one in their class had even been able to fight the curse let alone throw it off. However, this failure had only served to encourage Mad-Eye. In addition to new material, he kept setting aside time at the end of class for them to practice. Today had been the girls' turn to practice. Mel had been forced to do an obscene amount of sit-ups, while Lindsey had done some very difficult ballet moves.

"So, what did you two end up doing?" Ryan asked as he made a sandwich.

"Basically, a lot of exercise that we don't normally do," Lindsey said.

"Have you heard?" Angela asked excitedly as she walked hurriedly toward them, Drew trailing behind her.

"Heard what?" Mel asked, holding her stomach with both arms.

"The students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be here in one week!" she said, plopping down next to Mel.

"Fantastic," Mel mumbled sarcastically.

"Imperius Curse?" Angela asked, noticing her friend's strained stature. Mel nodded as she gently reached for some fruit. "Now I'm really happy I skipped."

"Yeah, lucky you," Lindsey muttered darkly.

"You all could be a little more excited," Angela said, shooting them critical looks.

"I'm sorry. I have to save my fake excitement for when Cedric's around," Mel said, glancing toward the doors as she spoke.

Angela rolled her eyes. "It's all going to be fine, Mel. Stop worrying about it and have some fun."

"Whatever," Mel said, pushing herself up. "I'll see you later. I want to get a start on this Transfiguration paper."

She left the table, allowing her friends to talk excitedly about their soon-to-arrive guests and the tournament. Mel hated to be so negative, but she really did not think the tournament was a good idea. People had died before. Who was to say this time would be different? Especially since recent history could show that things at Hogwarts were not always the safest.

XXX

The next week flew by. Come Friday, everyone was so excited for the arrival of the visiting schools that most teachers gave up on trying to teach them anything new. In fact, most of Mel's classes that day were either review or used as extra practice time. Mel did not mind too much. She used all the free time to do some divination research. It turned out that her two-week break had not hurt her progress. In addition, her headaches were not as bad and the dizziness was gone. However, she had yet to see anything new since before her break. So, she had resorted to researching new methods that might help her see something. She had yet to find anything that might be of use.

After History of Magic let out, she and her classmates hurried to their dormitory to dispose of their bags, grab their cloaks, and ran back down to the Entrance Hall. Professor Sprout organized them by year and made sure they looked like model students before joining the other houses out on the lawn.

They all stood in a group, looking around expectantly. No one knew how their guests were arriving. But the consensus seemed to be that it would be by air as most people were looking at the sky. Mel shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. It was growing colder by the second. What was taking them so long?

"They're late," Cedric said, wrapping an arm around Mel and pulling her closer. She snuggled closer to him, thankful for the warmth. "It's after six."

"Guess they want to make an entrance," Mel said, scanning the sky. She saw a large black dot flying over the forest and in their direction. Pointing to it she said, "Think that's them?"

The dot got larger as it neared. Soon they could tell that it was a large powder-blue carriage pulled by elephant-sized, winged palomino horses. It landed with a soft thud in front of the rows of students. They watched as a giant of a woman emerged from the carriage. Twelve boys and girls followed her out; all started shivering instantly. Dumbledore must have noticed because he offered them to go in and warm up, which Madame Maxime accepted immediately.

The Hogwarts students remained outside for a bit longer. The majority of them were shivering violently. After a few more minutes of waiting, a giant ship emerged from the Black Lake. After the boat was anchored, a plank was lowered to the ground, allowing those on board to disembark. As they neared, Mel could see that all the students were wearing fur cloaks, making them all look incredibly bulky. _Bet they're plenty warm_, Mel thought.

Dumbledore greeted Durmstrang's headmaster with just as much warmth as Madame Maxime. These students were also led inside rather quickly. Karkaroff was paying particular attention to one hulking figure, which was causing the students of Hogwarts to whisper excitedly. As he passed, Mel saw why: The student was none other than Viktor Krum.

As soon as the Durmstrang students had entered the castle, the heads of houses lead them all into the great hall. Everyone was whispering excitedly. Some students were jumping up and down trying to get a better look at Krum. Many of the girls were frantically searching their pockets for something to get an autograph with. Mel could not help but laugh at Ryan, who was acting like a four-year-old meeting Santa Claus.

"Do you see him? I didn't know he was still in school! What are the chances he went to Durmstrang?" Ryan said excitedly, bouncing on his feet.

"Pretty good, considering most wizards or witches in Bulgaria go there," Lindsey said, rolling her eyes. "Though, I must admit he's rather attractive."

The Beauxbaton and Durmstrang students were already seated at the Ravenclaw and Slytherin tables when they entered the hall. The food was amazing. Mel was reminded of her summer in France and thoroughly enjoyed the special food. After the feast, Dumbledore revealed the Goblet of Fire, a plain goblet with blue-white flames that would decide who the champions would be. As soon as Mel saw it, she had a nervous feeling in her stomach—the same one she had at the World Cup.

When the feast ended, Mel left the hall as quickly as she could. She could not face Cedric right now. He would know something was up. He always did. She distractedly changed into her pajamas and had just crawled into bed when Lindsey, Angela, Tara and Julie entered the room. Angela and Lindsey made their way directly over to her. Mel kept her eyes downcast as she pulled her blankets up.

"What the hell was that?" Angela asked, sitting on the foot of her bed.

"Nothing, I just don't feel well," Mel said, lying down. "Something from dinner isn't sitting well."

"Are you sure?" Angela asked sounding slightly concerned, but unsure if Mel was telling the truth.

"Yes, I'll be better in the morning. Night."

"Ok," Angela said, getting up. She and Lindsey exchanged a glance, but went over to their beds. Mel drew the curtains around her bed, blocking everything out.

She refused to get up the next morning. She buried her head under her covers and feigned sleep when she heard her friends rise. Mel was torn over what to do. While something bad had happened the last time she had this feeling, no one had been seriously hurt. In addition, she did not want to fight with or worry Cedric. She thought about going to Dumbledore with her concerns. But what could he do? She had not even had a vision that something was going to happen.

A little after noon, she finally rolled out of bed and got dressed. She headed down to the Great Hall for a lunch. Irrationally, she glared at the goblet as she walked into the hall. Before she had seen the goblet, she had only been a little worried about Cedric entering. Now, she could barely sleep or eat.

Cedric sat down next to her only a minute after she sat down. He must have been waiting for her.

"Did you see something?" he asked in a low voice. His grey eyes were searching her face for a sign of worry.

"Nothing," she said, trying to sound reassuring. It was true, she had not seen a thing, but she still felt like she was lying. "I just didn't feel well last night. I'm fine, promise."

"So you're not going to freak out if I tell I put my name in the goblet?" he asked, testing her. She hesitated for a second, but quickly took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm not going to freak out," she said firmly. "But I'm not going to lie and say I won't worry if you're chosen. I can't help it. It's just how I feel."

"I guess I should be happy you're not shouting at me," he teased, kissing her knuckles. "You're known to do that when you're stressed."

"It just shows that I care," Mel said, giving a small smile.

"I know. Hurry up and eat," he said, releasing her hand.

"Why?" she asked before eating a spoonful of potato soup.

"I'm going to teach you some new quidditch moves," he said, looking excited. "Silly to do a bunch of homework today. There's not many of these nice days left."

XXX

Cedric and Mel were barely on time for dinner. They walked briskly into the hall, both pink in the face and slightly out of breath. Angela was wearing a smirk and her eyebrows were slightly raised as Mel and Cedric sat across the table from her.

"Lost track of the time playing quidditch, did we?" she asked.

Cedric remained silent and busied himself with dinner, but Mel blushed and avoided eye contact with her friends. She too began helping herself to some herb-seasoned potatoes and chicken. Angela smirked throughout dinner, but remained silent. All too quickly, dinner was over and it was time for the champions to be announced.

When dinner was over, the food magically disappeared as usual and every head in the room turned toward the front of the hall. Dumbledore got up, asked those selected to go to the side room off the Great Hall, and asked for one more minute of patience from the students. After another minute of suspense, the blue-white flames turned a violent red and spit out a slip of paper. Dumbledore caught it and read the name.

"The champion from Durmstrang is…Viktor Krum!"

The hall erupted into cheers, though no one was really surprised. Karkaroff could be heard congratulating Krum over everyone else. The hall quickly quieted down when Krum had left the room. Everyone's attention returned to Dumbledore and the goblet. Once again, the flames turned a violent red and spit out a name.

"The Beauxbaton's champion…Fleur Delacour!"

Everyone clapped politely, but Fleur's classmates looked extremely unhappy. For the third time, everyone's attention turned toured the goblet. The room was full of so much tension, Mel could scarcely breathe. The fire turned red and Dumbledore caught the final paper. Mel linked fingers with Cedric and squeezed it. She would support him even if she did not like that he was participating.

"The Hogwarts champion is Cedric Diggory!"

The Hufflepuff table erupted into a deafening cheer. Mel kissed Cedric on the cheek and gave him a smile before releasing him. Hufflepuffs clapped him on the back as he made his way to the front of the hall and to the side room, a smile on his face the whole time. It took several minutes to quiet them down. Mel did her best to ignore the butterflies in her stomach and keep a genuine smile on her face.

"Now then," Dumbledore said loudly, silencing the last bit of chatter. "I expect you that you will all support your champions. It—"

Dumbledore stopped talking as the goblet turned red and spit out a fourth piece of paper. Mel felt her heartbeat speed up and her stomach tighten. Something bad was about to happen, again.

"Harry Potter."

The hall sat in stunned silence. Mel could not believe her ears. Not both of them, and especially not Harry. He was too young. There was no way he could get through this unscathed. It must be a joke.

"Harry Potter," Dumbledore repeated, more firmly this time. Mel watched in horror as Harry numbly walked forward. This was not right. Surely Dumbledore would not let him compete. He was far too young and it was far too dangerous. She heard some students call out "cheater." How could they think he was able to do this? Clearly, there was strong, dark—

Strong, dark magic. Voldemort. It all made sense. Somehow Voldemort had gotten Harry entered into the tournament. This was his plan. Mel felt her chest constrict, she could barely breathe.

They were dismissed to their dormitories as soon as Harry was out of sight. In a daze, Mel got up and followed her classmates.

"Mel, are you all right? You're so pale!" Angela asked as they walked downstairs. She was about to say yes, but became extremely lightheaded and passed out instead. The last thing she remembered was the frantic screams of her friends and someone catching her.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**AN: So, I'm updating a day early because I'll be moving tomorrow and won't have time to. As always, I appreciate everyone taking the time to read this. Enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.**

Cedric shook his head as he went down to the common room. How was it Potter managed to get himself into everything? Cedric did not think Potter did it on his own, nor did he think he got an older student to do it. But it was annoying, nonetheless. Mel was probably in hysterics right now.

When he opened the portrait door, the same deafening cheer that he had heard in the hall greeted him. Forgetting his worries, he enjoyed the attention. He looked for his friends and saw them occasionally, but was often quickly assaulted by new well-wishers and congratulators. It was midnight before he was finally left alone. He found his friends sitting in the corner. They smiled as he walked over.

"Well, congrats Hogwarts champion!" Ryan said, thumping him on the back. "I knew you'd do this house proud."

"Too bad Potter had to steal the glory again," Drew said, his frustration evident.

"I don't think Potter did it. He's only a fourth year after all," Cedric said.

"Well, congratulations Cedric. You really deserve this, and I'm sure you'll do great," Angela said supportively.

"Thanks. Where's Mel?" he asked, looking around. His friends all looked at each other, and then away from him. "What is it?" he asked.

"We don't know," Angela said, choosing her words carefully. "We were coming back here, and she looked really pale, and then she just passed out. We got her up to the Hospital Wing, but then she started having a fit or something. Madam Pomfrey shooed us out of the room and refused to say what was wrong."

It was Cedric's turn to feel worried. He knew it had probably been a vision. However, she had never passed out before. He knew they would never let him in tonight, but he would go first thing in the morning.

The night could not have been longer. Cedric could barely sleep. At six o'clock, he gave up trying to sleep and got up. He decided to take a shower, thinking it was still too early to get into the Hospital Wing. It was only six-thirty when he was finally dressed, but he could not wait any longer.

Briskly, he walked through the corridor. He paused outside the Hospital Wing, hoping the door was unlocked. When he found that it was, he quietly opened the door. He surprised to find Professors Dumbledore, Snape, Moody, McGonagall and Sprout in addition to Madam Pomfrey hovering around Mel.

"What's going on?" he asked, making his presence known.

"Mr. Diggory!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed, clearly surprised by his appearance. "You shouldn't be here! It's—it's too early for visitors, and Miss Evans is in no condition to receive any."

"I don't care. I want to see her," he said stubbornly. Both McGonagall and Sprout gave him a reapproving look for his attitude, but said nothing.

"It's all right, Poppy," Dumbledore said calmly. "If you all wouldn't mind, I would like a word with Cedric."

They all filed out, Madam Pomfrey did so rather reluctantly, and shot Cedric curious looks as they did. Unexpectedly, Cedric found himself alone with the Headmaster. He suddenly felt extremely foolish.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked, walking toward Mel. She was extremely pale and seemed to muttering something in her sleep. Tried tear trails showed that she had been crying.

"We're not sure exactly," Dumbledore said gently. "I think she had a traumatizing vision and is now stuck replying it in her mind. I believe her subconscious is trying to work out a way to change what she saw."

Cedric pushed some sweaty hair off her forehead, and trailed his thumb along her cheekbone. "When will she wake up?"

"I'm not sure," Dumbledore said. "Perhaps when she is able to handle what she's seen."

"Was she in any pain?"

"Not physically, but emotionally, yes. I do believe she'll be ok, but she might be a bit different for a while. Whatever she's seen has caused some mental scarring," Dumbledore explained gently.

"May I stay with her for a bit?" Cedric asked, sitting on the next to hers.

"Yes, but if Madam Pomfrey or Professor Snape ask you to move or leave, I need you to do so. They're both trying to find ways to bring her back."

"Yes, sir," Cedric nodded.

"Very well, then," Dumbledore said before leaving the Hospital Wing.

XXX

At nine, Drew and Angela came to check in and dropped off some of Cedric's schoolbooks. Mel was still asleep, and Madam Pomfrey quickly shooed them out. Lindsey and Ryan came around lunch under the pretense of bringing Cedric food. They lingered a few a minutes, each remarking how pale she was. After they left, Cedric thought Mel looked cold, so he took off his school robe and tucked it around her. Snape came by an hour later to give her a potion. He had Cedric help Mel sit up, so they could administer it without her choking.

"What will that do?" Cedric asked, as Snape tipped a light blue potion down her throat.

"Hopefully, it will relax her mind. Make her feel as if what she's seeing is more a dream than a reality," Snape explained. "It should help her to wake up."

They laid her back down, and Snape left, giving Cedric a curious look as he did. Cedric ignored it. He did not care what any thought or said. Mel did not have anyone else. He felt he had to be there when she woke up.

He tried to study, but could not concentrate. Over the next hour, her mumbling grew louder. It was when he heard his name that he looked up. He thought she was awake, but saw that she was not. However, he still moved to sit on her bed.

"What is it, Mel? I'm right here," he whispered, not wanting Madam Pomfrey to know.

"Cedric," she mumbled. "Not Cedric."

"Mel, what are you talking about?" he asked, more to himself than to her. "If you'd just wake up, I could help you."

No sooner had he said those words, than she shot up and stared wildly around. She did not seem to know where she, nor did she really seem to care. Cedric was starting to doubt that she was really awake.

"I need to see Dumbledore," she said urgently. "We have to stop it. They can't die, they can't."

Crying, she struggled to get up. Cedric helped her, but kept her from going anywhere by holding onto her shoulders.

"Mel, just calm down. Tell me what you saw," Cedric said firmly.

She shook her head. "I need to see Dumbledore. It's not safe. Both their lives are in danger," her voice was higher and louder now. Madam Pomfrey had come out of her office and was walking toward them with a syringe. "Please just take me to Dumbledore."

"Hold her still," Madam Pomfrey ordered, walking up behind Mel. Cedric did as instructed as Madam Pomfrey injected a clear liquid into Mel's neck. Mel fought them for a minute, but soon asleep again.

"What was that?" Cedric asked as he lowered Mel back onto the bed.

"A tranquilizer, it will allow her to have a smoother wake up," Madam Pomfrey said, waving her wand. Something white that looked like a small bird flew out of her wand tip.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave now, Mr. Diggory," she said gently. "I'll let you know when you can come back. Most likely, it'll be after dinner."

Unhappy, Cedric picked up his book bag. Before he left, he kissed her forehead and tucked his robe around her again.

"How is she?" Angela asked as Cedric slumped in an armchair in the common room.

"She woke up, wasn't really herself, and they put her back to sleep," Cedric said as he absently flipped through his Transfiguration book. "They said I could come back after dinner."

"You don't think that you should wait? Maybe give her some time?" Angela said.

"No. I know my behavior is odd, maybe even a little unhealthy, but it's important that I talk to her today," Cedric said. He had a pretty good idea of who the "they" she had been shouting about were.

The rest of the day passed painfully slowly. Cedric was able to get most of his schoolwork done and eat a decent amount of dinner. However, as soon as dinner was done, he ran up to the Hospital Wing. The room looked empty when he opened the door. He stepped inside and looked around, Mel's bed was empty. He scanned the other beds, but found her sitting on the window at the far end of the room. Letting a sigh of relief escape he walked toward her. He noticed her pull his robe closer to her as he neared. He kissed the top of her head before he sat next to her.

"Hey," he said gently. "How are you feeling?"

"I don't know…terrified," she said. Her eyes were puffy and red. In his gut, he knew what she had seen. There was no reason to make her say it, but he needed her to.

"You saw me die, didn't you?" he asked. She looked away and pulled her knees closer to her chest. "Me and Harry?" he prompted.

"Dumbledore won't cancel the tournament," she said, her voice breaking. She broke down into tears, and Cedric shifted them so that she had her back leaning against him. He wrapped both arms around her and gently rocked her back and forth.

"Shh, it's ok. It's ok," he said, doing his best to calm her down. "Mel, listen, listen to me," he said more firmly this time. He heard her take a deep, trembling breath. "It's going to be ok. I will be careful. If you see anything, I will do whatever you say if you think it'll keep me safe. We will keep an eye out for Harry. Will get through this, ok?"

"I didn't just see you die. I saw V-Voldemort come back, and Harry fight him," she said, her breathing still ragged as she turned to face him. "This tournament isn't safe. It's been rigged. It should be cancelled."

"They can't, their hands are tied," he said gently. However, he too was wishing it would be cancelled. He knew the tournament was going to be challenging and dangerous, but he had honestly believed that it would not be life threatening. "Plus, you really can't offer them any proof of what you've seen. Do you…do you when…?"

She shook her head. "I know I can't prove anything, but…but what if none of it matters?" she asked, looking helpless. "What if everything I saw happens?"

Cedric hesitated, "Then…then you mourn me and get on with your life. You have to help him; you can't fall to pieces like this again. Promise me, you won't ever get like this again. Promise me, you'll stay strong no matter what."

"Promise," she said weakly. "But you really can't die on me."

"I won't," he mumbled into her hair as he squeezed her tightly. "We'll change this one."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**AN: And here you go! Tell me what you think (Pretty, pretty please!). **

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.**

Mel struggled through the next few days. She forced herself to not avoid her friends. She answered their questions patiently, and acted as if nothing was wrong. What had happened Saturday was just a really bad headache. There was nothing to worry about. Either she was becoming a really good liar or her friends just wanted everything to be fine because they all believed her in less than ten minutes. And if she wanted them to believe it, all she had to do was smile and act normal.

She did this fairly well, all things considered. Mel was doing an exceptionally good job at hiding her true feelings; even Cedric was having difficulties discerning how she really felt. The act was good for her. It gave her something else to think of than her brother and boyfriend's impending deaths. Dumbledore said it was her state of panic and fear that kept her from being able to see anything. She found the whole thing ridiculous. She was Sight. She should be able to see anything whenever she wanted. It was frustrating, how limited she was. Nevertheless, she had been doing calming exercises in the hope that they would clear her mind.

_Though what might help more is to be free of Cedric's new, inane, and extremely chatty fan club,_ she thought bitterly as she walked through the corridors between Divination and Charms. She loved and trusted him more than anyone else, but she really wished he would try to discourage them more. She knew he did not want to be cruel, but the girls were getting a little extreme in their worship. Lost in her thoughts, she bumped into someone and dropped her books.

"Oh, sorry," she said, kneeling down to pick up her books.

"What? Surprised to see me?"

Mel froze. The voice was deeper, but she recognized it nonetheless. She took a deep breath and stood up to face him. His sandy-blond hair was shorter and he was taller and more built than he had been two years ago. But his cold, dead hazel eyes were the same. It was Sean.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, trying not to show how scared she was.

"I'm here for the tournament," he said. He was acting as if they were old friends, as if he had never attacked her. "Didn't you know? That school I "tested" into was one for wizards."

"No. Victoria must have forgotten to mention it when I was rushed away from the orphanage, and away from you," she added coldly. He was unabashed. He did not care what he had done. His nonchalance only served to anger her.

"Don't you think that's funny? That they never told us we were alike?"

"We are not alike," she hissed.

"Mel, what are you doing? You're going to be late for class. Oh, hello," Cedric said. He was confused. He noticed how tense Mel was, but could not understand why.

"Cedric Diggory, the Hogwarts Champion," Sean drawled, offering his hand. Cedric took it, eyeing him skeptically. "Or one of them."

"And you are?" Cedric asked.

"Sean Petrov. I go to Durmstrang, but Mel and I are old friends," he smirked. "We grew up together."

Mel felt Cedric tense beside her as he understood Sean. She grabbed Cedric's wrist, hoping to warn him against saying or doing something. Several passersby were looking at them curiously.

"We should be going, or we'll be late for class," Mel said, her voice void of feeling. She pulled Cedric around Sean, who smiled and sauntered off. They walked to Charms; Cedric's jaw clenched the whole time.

"Cedric," she said as they slid into a desk in the back of Charms class. He ignored her, his fists were clenched and he stared straight ahead. "Cedric, just breath. I'm fine."

"Yeah, for how long?" he whispered, his tone hard. "He's attacked you once before. Who's to say that he won't do that again?"

"He won't get a chance to," she whispered back. She was pretending to take notes so as not to draw attention to them. "I am able to protect myself. Especially now that using magic is fair."

Cedric sighed and unclenched his fists, but said nothing. He began taking notes and remained focused on the lesson for the duration of class. Toward the end of class, Ernie Macmillan entered and walked toward Professor Flitwick, waving at Cedric as he walked.

"Mr. Diggory, you're needed for tournament duties. Please go with Mr. Macmillan," Flitwick said. Cedric nodded and gathered his things. Mel tried to catch his eye as he left with Ernie, but he was making a point to ignore her.

XXX

"What do you mean, he's here? How is that even possible?" Angela whispered worriedly as they walked down to dinner.

"Apparently he's a wizard. I was going to write to Victoria after dinner, to see if she knew. But surely she would have said something if she knew we were both wizards?" Mel whispered back.

"Unless she didn't know," Angela offered as they sat down. "Does Cedric know?"

"'Course he does," Mel muttered. They sat down at the end of the Hufflepuff table, away from those waiting to swarm Cedric. Mel glanced over at the Slytherin table. She saw Sean laughing with some largely built boys from Durmstrang. She looked away quickly, not wanting him to catch her looking. "This is surreal," she muttered.

"You should talk to Professor Sprout," Angela said. "He shouldn't be here. What if he tries to hurt you again? Or someone else?"

"I know, but…Karkaroff will want proof, as will others. And I don't have any," Mel said, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"But you do! The Diggoy's all saw you after. And Mrs. Diggory had that woman from the hospital come talk to you. Plus, Victoria!" Angela said.

"What if he's different now?" Mel asked, growing more confused by the second. "Would it really help to bring all that up again?"

"I can't make you do anything, but I doubt that he's changed," Angela said gently. Mel sighed as she pushed the chicken around her plate. Cedric joined them halfway through dinner.

"What did they want?" Mel asked as Cedric filled a bowl with some kind of vegetable stew.

"Checked our wands. Rita Skeeter was there to get photos and quotes for a story," he said nonchalant.

"That would be so exciting if that horrid Skeeter woman wasn't involved," Angela said, scrunching her face.

"She mostly focused on Potter, so I'm safe."

Mel glanced over at the Gryffindor table and saw Harry sitting at the end of it, eating by himself. She suddenly felt very guilty. She had been so worried about Sean and acting normal that she had forgotten about Harry. He looked miserable. Everyone believed he had entered himself in the tournament. The Slytherins were being worse than ever. She had taken to confiscating the badges they had made, but it was beginning to seem futile. To make it worse, it looked like Harry's friends had abandoned him as well. She watched as he left the hall alone.

"You ok, Mel?" Angela asked.

"Yeah, I just remembered I have to finish that Potions essay," she said, getting up and grabbing her bag. "See you later."

She left the hall and made her way to the library. _Could things get any weirder?_ she thought.

The library was fairly empty as most people were still at dinner. She walked toward her favorite table, which was far from the entrance and near all the Divination books. Very few people ever went to that part of the library, so she did not have to worry about anyone bothering her. As she rounded a corner, she saw Harry sitting at a table by himself. She paused for a minute, debating if she should say something or not.

"Hi," she said, approaching his table. He looked up and was clearly surprised to see her.

"Hi," he said uncertainly.

"How are you doing with everything?" she asked, not sure what she was doing.

"Fine," she said, his eyebrows furrowed. "Aren't you Cedric's friend?"

"Yeah," she said, realizing his confusion. "I just wanted to say that I don't believe you put your name in the Goblet, and good luck with the tournament."

"Er, thanks."

"Well, I'll see you around," she said, feeling very awkward. She continued on her to her table, and was relieved there was no one else around. She sat down and pulled out her newest Divination books. She had been reading for about fifteen minutes when Cedric sat down beside her.

"How is it possible that you always find me," she mumbled, setting her book down and turning her seat to face him.

"Because I'm good at it," he said, giving a crooked half smile. "Sorry about earlier. It just so happens that prick is only person I've ever truly hated. I had this sudden urge to kill him. If he hurts you again, I might."

"Well, he's not going to. I told you, I can take care of myself," she reassured.

"A part of me knows that," he said, taking her hands in his. "But the rest of me really doesn't want him here or anywhere near here."

"You told a professor, didn't you?" she asked. He shook his head and gave a cold laugh.

"I will if he tries anything," he promised.

"You're being very overprotective, you know."

"I do. I don't care," he shrugged. She sighed and pulled her hands back. She laid her head on her arm, which was resting on the back of her chair. Cedric ran his hand through his hair in an agitated manner, causing Mel to smile slightly. She loved when his hair was a mess.

"I just…don't know what to do anymore," she finally said. "Not about the vision or the bloody tournament, not about Sean…I mean, the only thing I do know is that my vision took place at night, in a graveyard, and in the spring. So, we've got some time there, but I would love to figure something else out before that."

"Sorry, what was that?" Cedric asked nervously.

"I hadn't told you that, had I?" she mumbled.

"No, but good job on distracting me from Petrov for a minute. So, I have a few months?" he asked, tapping his fingers nervously.

"Sorry," she said, smiling apologetically. He grunted. She got up and sat in his lap, placing her forehead against his. "You have more than a few months; a few decades hopefully. I'm going to figure this out, promise."

"You sound like me," he sighed.

"Annoying, isn't it?" she teased. He glared at her, causing her to laugh. She ruffled his hair and hopped out of his lap. "Can I borrow Aurora?"

Aurora was Cedric's owl. He had let his mother name her as he had not been able to come up with a name for her himself. Mel thought the name was appropriate: The owl reminded her of the dawn. Her feathers faded from white to yellow to tan.

"Sure. Do you want company?" he asked, grabbing his bag as he stood up.

"I think I can handle going to the Owlery by myself," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry for trying to be chivalrous," he muttered.

"Oh yeah, _that's_ what you were trying to be," she said sarcastically. "I will need your help tomorrow night for rounds, though," she added with a mischievous smile.

"Oh, you will…what?" he said, looking confused. Mel giggled, pecked him on the cheek and made her way up to the Owlery. It took her a while to find Aurora: she was sitting on one the higher perches between two other barn owls. She flew down to Mel after a few calls.

"Hey pretty girl," Mel cooed as she tied the letter to Victoria onto Aurora's leg. "She should be near where I used to live. You'll find her."

Mel walked to the window. "Please find her," she added in a whisper. Aurora hooted in what one could call a reassuring manner and took off. Mel sighed and turned to leave. She was startled as giant white wings flew in front of her and landed beside her. The bird settled on a beam beside her. Mel saw that it was a snowy owl—Harry's snowy owl.

"Well, aren't you impressive?" she muttered, regaining her footing after slipping on the straw and dropping-strewn floor. "Watch out for him."

The owl gave her a look and hooted as if to say "of course."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.**

_Dear Melissa,_

_ It is so good to hear from you, and I am glad you are well. It has been far too long since I have last seen and heard from you._

_ As for your question, I never knew Sean was a wizard. The school officials I met and corresponded with never mentioned magic. In fact, they presented themselves and their school as a non-magical institution._

_ It troubles me that he is there, so close to you. I agree he may have changed, but you cannot count on that without proof. If possible, try to find out if there have been other instances at his school. Most importantly, stay as far away from him as possible, and—if you feel threatened—tell someone in a position of authority immediately. Your safety and health are more important than his reputation._

_ Please keep me informed, so I know you are safe._

_All my love,_

_Victoria_

Mel folded the letter and slipped it into her bag. _Makes sense_, she thought, offering bacon pieces to Aurora. _Durmstrang doesn't even accept muggleborns to the school. It's doubtful they would even want a muggle to know of the school. But why was he accepted to Durmstrang and not Hogwarts?_

"Mel, did you ever get your dress robes?" Lindsey asked, flipping through _The Daily Prophet_.

"No."

"Good, you can go shopping with me for some in Hogsmeade tomorrow," she said excitedly.

"Boys will be wearing dress robes. Girls will be wearing dresses," Angela sighed exasperatedly.

"Our supply list said dress robes, and you don't even know what the event is," Mel said matter-of-factly.

"Actually, I think I do," Angela said smugly.

"Oh yeah? What is it?" Mel asked doubtfully.

"Well, I've been doing some reading," she said, pausing to glare at the mock looks of shock on her friends' faces. "And there is this little thing called a Yule Ball that is apart of every Triwizard Tournament."

"If that's so, then why haven't any of the professors said anything?" Lindsey asked.

"I guess they want to surprise us," Angela shrugged. "So don't tell anyone. I don't fancy a trip to the headmaster's office for letting this get out."

Mel rolled her eyes at Angela's imagined drama. Her career choice of going into the fashion industry was very appropriate.

"So, Tuesday's the first task. What do you think it will be?" Lindsey asked timidly. Mel had been more and more on edge as the task drew nearer. Her friends had done their best not to mention it in front of her. Mel took a moment to compose her emotions.

"Something dangerous and life-threatening," Mel said sardonically.

"Come on, Mel," Angela whined. "It won't be that bad. They've taken safety precautions."

"And yet a fourteen year old boy is competing," she muttered.

Angela and Lindsey fell silent. They had decided weeks ago that they would not fight with her on this. She was way too stressed out and worried about Cedric as it was, and they did not want to cause another fainting spell. They did find it odd that she was concerned and not annoyed or angry that Harry was in the tournament, but, again, decided it was in everyone's best interest to not push her on it.

"So, dresses tomorrow, then?" Lindsey asked, changing the subject.

Angela nodded—too enthusiastically—and launched into a spiel about which colours and dress types would look best on Lindsey and Mel. Mel only half listened to what she was saying. She did not want to think or talk about the tournament. In fact, she had been avoiding Cedric so she did not have to. She absentmindedly pushed her porridge around as Angela talked. Apparently she zoned out completely because she jumped a little when a small owl landed next to her and dropped a scrap of paper before taking off again.

"Who's it from?" Angela asked.

"No idea," Mel murmured as she picked up the letter and opened it.

_Melissa,_

_ I know this is short notice, but I need you to meet me at the edge of Hogsmeade tomorrow. I believe I have found some information that could help you. Meet me at one, just past the Hogshead._

_-Padfoot_

"Do guys mind shopping in the morning?" Mel asked. "It looks like I have some extra prefect duties to do tomorrow afternoon."

XXX

The girls got up early the next morning and quickly made their way to Hogsmeade. There was a new clothes boutique next to the post office that they wanted to check out. Angela looked like she was in Heaven the minute she entered the store.

"Oh, where to start?" she squealed.

"Formal wear would be my guess," Mel mumbled. Angela glared at her, but half-ran to the back of the shop. "All right," she said, already searching the clothes racks, "let's find some dresses."

An hour and a half later, they left the shop with three new dresses and matching shoes.

"I can't wait to wear these," Angela said, excitedly shaking the box of shoes. Mel laughed. She still felt a little self-conscious about her dress, but Lindsey and Angela had talked her into getting it. It was not something she would normally where, which is exactly why they wanted her to buy it.

"Cedric and Drew will die when they see these," Angela said giddily. "Now, Lindsey, we just need to work on finding you a date."

Lindsey blushed and looked at Mel for help. Mel gave an apologetic grimace and shrugged. There was no stopping Angela: She was a powerful, unstoppable force.

"I've noticed you've been spending an awful lot of time with Anthony Rickett," Angela continued with a knowing look. Rickett was a year above them and a beater on the Hufflepuff quidditch team. He was just under six feet tall, pale, blond, and brown-eyed. He was not the smartest person in the school, but he seemed nice enough and made Lindsey laugh.

Lindsey turned even redder and muttered, "I'm actually meeting him for lunch at the Three Broomsticks."

"Shoot! What time is it?" Mel asked. She had forgotten to look at the clock before she left the shop. Angela rolled her eyes and looked at her watch. "It's twelve-fifty."

"Will you guys take my things? I won't have a chance to drop them off in the dormitory," she asked. They were outside the Three Broomsticks now. Mel tried to keep the urgency out of her voice; she did not want them to think something was up.

"Sure," Angela said, holding out her arms. Mel laid her dress bag on top of Angela's and Lindsey took her shoes.

"Thanks, see you later," she said, taking a few steps away from the pub.

"No problem," Angela smiled. They waved good-bye and went inside. As soon as they were out of sight, Mel turned around and walked quickly down the street. The Hogshead was at the very edge of Hogsmeade; she was probably going to be a few minutes late.

XXX

Angela and Lindsey navigated the crowded pub to Drew, Ryan, and Cedric's table. They placed their purchases in an empty chair. Angela then helped Lindsey fix her clothes and hair for her lunch date with Rickett. She watched as Lindsey walked happily to his table before sitting down with Drew and the others. She caught Drew's grimace when she sat down.

"What?" she asked.

"Who's carrying all that up to the castle?" he asked.

"Well, Lindsey may or may not come back for her things, and Mel's gone to do some prefect duties, so us," she shrugged.

"Prefect duties," Cedric repeated, sounding confused.

"Yeah, she got a note yesterday morning. She just headed up to the castle."

"Excuse me," he said. Thanks to his quidditch skills, he was easily able to maneuver the crowd. Once outside he shrugged on his coat and looked around the street. He spotted her halfway down the road, heading in the opposite direction of the castle. Eyebrows furrowed, he jogged after her.

XXX

Mel was startled by someone wrapping their arm around her shoulders from behind. She spun out of their grip and turned to see Cedric with pink cheeks and breathing slightly heavier than normal.

"What the hell?" she snapped.

"Just wondering where you're going?" he asked, falling in step with her.

"To see someone. You can't come," she said, folding her arms in front of her.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm going to see…an estranged family member," she said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, the escaped convict," he said, lowering his voice.

They reached the edge of town and Mel pulled Cedric behind the Hogshead.

"Ok, you know where I am going. Now go back to the others. I'll see you later," she said using her most authoritative voice.

"No," he said, shoving his hands in his coat pockets. The November weather was cool, and she could tell Cedric was wishing he had dressed warmer. "I'm going with you, and then we can talk about why you've been avoiding me."

She was about to protest, but was stopped by the sound of a bark. She looked to her left to see a large black dog wagging its tail. It was watching them too intently to be an ordinary dog.

"Hi Padfoot," she said quietly. The dog barked again and turned around. Mel followed him, silently accepting that Cedric was coming too. The flat ground began sloping upward, getting steeper as they walked. Pretty soon, they were climbing up the side of a small mountain.

"I haven't been avoiding you," Mel said between breaths.

"Really?" Cedric asked, his voice full of doubt and strained as he pulled himself up. "Because outside of classes and meals, I haven't seen you in days. That's saying something considering we're in the same house. In fact, you're only at meals long enough to eat a small dinner and barely say two words while you're there."

"I've been researching," she said, climbing on top of a boulder. Sirius was ahead of them by several feet. She hoped they were almost there. Her arms and legs were aching from all the climbing.

"Whatever," Cedric muttered.

"Well, your fan club doesn't help. If possible, they've been even more annoying as of late. I can't think when they're hanging around all the time!"

She was stretching the truth big time. Those girls may be annoying, but it was clear she was lying about avoiding Cedric. She watched as Sirius disappeared over a ledge about five feet up.

"Oh please," Cedric said, seeing through her lies. "If that was true, I wouldn't have seen for the last few months, not the last few days!"

He hoisted himself over the ledge. Then he leaned down to help her up. She accepted his help, and landed on the cave floor, gasping for breath.

"Did you ever think that maybe it's really difficult for me to deal with all these girls flirting with you all the time?" She was really grasping at straws now.

"Don't even start with the jealous girlfriend crap. You don't get jealous, remember?" he snapped. He bent down and pulled her up by her upper arm. "It's the tournament, isn't it?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she snapped.

She took a deep breath and tried to reign in her frustration. There was the sound of someone clearing their throat and they turned to see Sirius Black wearing an amused smirk. Mel felt herself blush from embarrassment. Behind him, she saw a grey hippograph with bright orange eyes lying on the ground. He watched them curiously, but did not get up to see them.

"Sirius, this is Cedric, my boyfriend," she said sheepishly. "He decided to tag along."

"To see a deranged murder?" Sirius asked jokingly.

"Mel trusts you. That's enough for me," Cedric said, walking forward and offering his hand to Sirius. Sirius shook it and said, "Smart boy."

"Why did you need to see me?" Mel asked, walking toward them.

"I have something for you, and I wanted to see how you were doing. So," he smirked, "how are you?"

"Fantastic," she said sarcastically. "I suppose Dumbledore wrote to about my incident?"

"Which one?" he asked, sitting on the cave floor and gesturing for them to do the same.

"What do you mean?" she asked, sitting down.

"The one that happened earlier this month, or the one that happened two years ago?" Sirius asked, watching her reaction closely.

"How do you…?" she asked, feeling confused and anxious all of a sudden.

"The woman from the orphanage wrote Dumbledore about it after you wrote her. He then wrote me, figuring I would like to know. She thought it would help your case if the boy tried anything."

She could feel the 'I told you so' stare from Cedric. She refused to look at him.

"It was a long time ago and I can take care of myself," she shrugged. "What is it you have for me?"

Sirius watched her a moment longer and then sighed. He reached to his left and pulled a bag over by the strings.

"I was able to contact some people who had access to the ancient texts we used to…create you," he said gently. "After disguising myself, I was able to get access to them and steal them. I'm not sure what's in there, but those are all the books and scrolls we used 17 years ago. I was even able to snatch a translation guide. I didn't know if you were studying Ancient Runes or not."

"I am," she said quietly. She took the bag from him and opened it. Inside were almost a dozen old books and scrolls. The smell of old, musty paper assaulted her nose and she closed the bag.

"I thought there might be something in there to help you expand your powers."

"Thank you," she said smiling.

"We should be heading back," Cedric said, glancing at the mouth of the cave. "It's getting late."

Mel nodded and stood up. Cedric took the knapsack from Mel and swung it onto his back. Mel walked over to Sirius and hugged him good-bye. He kissed the top of her head and whispered "take care."

"It was nice to meet you, Mr. Black," Cedric said.

Sirius nodded. "Watch out for her," he said, causing Mel to roll her eyes. However, she noticed Cedric nod in consent.

They climbed back down the mountain in silence. Cedric went extra slow in order to help Mel down in the fading light. They had to run back to Hogsmeade in order to meet curfew. Carriages had been sent down for the stragglers. Cedric ran to one and helped Mel inside. Once Cedric closed the door and sat down, Mel snuggled up next to him.

"Done making up excuses?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her closer.

"I don't want to talk about it," she mumbled into his jacket.

"It's going to be ok," he promised. "The task takes place in the day and it's fall. I'm safe."

Mel nodded in response, but she did not say anything. Instead, she took her hands out of her gloves and held one his in her hands.

"You really need to wear gloves in this weather."

"Yes, love," he said slightly patronizingly. "Are you done avoiding me then?"

"Why must you make me feel stupid?" she groaned.

"Well, you've been acting a little stupid," he teased. "I mean, you tried to pull the jealous girlfriend act earlier. When you're your smart self, you don't do that."

"Shut up," she said, playfully punching him in the side. She pulled away and glared at him as he laughed.

"Though, I will admit those girls are starting on my last nerve. I just don't know what to do about them," he said thoughtfully. "It's not a secret I'm with you or anything. I really don't get what they're thinking."

"Don't know what to tell you," Mel sighed, closing her eyes.

"Hey, don't fall asleep on me!"

"I'm sorry. That hike made me tired," she yawned.

"Why don't you get jealous?" he asked after a minute.

"Because I have spent years listening to Angela tell me how much you're in love with me," she teased. "Plus, ya know, we fight a lot, but you've never broken up with me. I'm pretty sure most guys would've bailed by now."

"I feel like there was a compliment in there, but I can't tell," he said, feigning confusion.

She laughed and stood up. She walked over to him slowly. Once in front of him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and straddled him. He tightly wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her from falling

"Though, I can't say I will always be so rational about the situation. So, you'll want to do something about that soon."

"I don't know," he said. "It might be worth it to see you jealous."

"If it's anything like when I'm angry, I'm pretty sure you don't."

He chuckled. She was thinking of a retort when she felt his hand in her hair and push her mouth to his. It was intense and rough. Mel could barely breathe, but, instead of pulling away, her fingers knotted into his hair. His grip on her waist tightened as the hand in her hair moved to her waist and then under her many layers. She shivered as his cold fingers touched her skin. The carriage came to a sudden stop, causing them to break apart.

They sat for minute; the only sound their heavy breathing. Mel disentangled herself from Cedric and hopped out of the carriage. She began walking toward the castle. She heard Cedric follow a few minutes later, though his pace was slow. She adjusted her clothes and hair as she walked. She heard someone running behind her as she walked into the entrance to the Great Hall.

"Mel," Cedric gasped slightly, pulling her to the side.

"What was—" she started to ask, but was stopped by Cedric kissing her again. The kiss much more reserved this time, but when he pulled he away she was blushing furiously. A few of the boys in the entrance whooped and clapped, while the girls giggled. She looked past Cedric and saw some his admirers looking slightly crestfallen.

"Nice," she whispered, rolling her eyes.

"Well, you told me to do something," he said innocently. He linked hands with her, lacing their fingers. "Plus, you left me in that…condition," he smirked. She shook her head and led them away from the Great Hall.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"The kitchens," she said. "I'm not going into the Great Hall after that performance."

"Plus, more alone time," Cedric said suggestively.

"I'm promising you nothing," she said, struggling to keep a straight face.

**AN: Sorry for the late night/early morning update. I was out with one my bff's that I haven't seen in a year and just got engaged, so we had a lot of catching up to do. Thank you for continuing to read/favorite/review this story! :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.**

It was the day of the first task. Classes were to be cut short. Mel thought they should have been cancelled. The students were so excited that most of the professors had given up teaching for the day. Mel had given up pretending to study and just stared blankly while pretending to listen to her friends.

Cedric was exceptionally nervous. Perhaps it would not have been so bad if he had not known that the task involved dragons. Mel knew she had been less nervous before that bit of information had been shared. When classes were over, she and the others walked with Cedric to the common room, where they disposed of their school things and dressed for the cool weather.

"Remember, wear a sweater or jacket. A robe is a risk," she whispered to him before he ran to his room to change. She waited for him in the common room, telling her friends to save her a seat and that she would catch up with them. Cedric came down looking slightly green.

"Ready?" Mel asked, feeling her own stomach clench into a nervous knot. He nodded. She wrapped an arm around his and they walked down to the arena.

"It's gonna be fine," she said, trying to reassure both of them. "You'll be fine. You can do this."

They paused outside the champion's tent. Cedric turned to face her. "Thanks for supporting me and all. Especially, since you weren't happy about me volunteering for this in the first place," he said, trying to joke around.

She threw her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. "Please be careful," she mumbled into his chest. He hugged her back and kissed the top of her head. "Promise."

"All right," she said, letting go and taking a step back. "You should go."

He nodded and kissed her good-bye. As soon as he was in the tent, she ran into the arena to find her friends.

XXX

Cedric was the first to face off against his dragon, which was a blue-grey Swedish Short-Snout. Mel vaguely remembered reading about them in an old magical creatures book. They were not the most deadly kind of dragon, but dangerous nonetheless. She had just started to unclench her bone-white knuckles when the dragon got bored of chasing the Labrador and went for Cedric.

The crowd gasped as the dragon hit him with a fireball. Mel felt Angela rub her back reassuringly as she clenched up again. After two long minutes, the smoke cleared enough for them to see Cedric holding the gold egg. The stands erupted in deafening cheers. Ryan and Drew hi-fived and stomped on the bleachers. Drew then picked Angela up and spun her around. Mel let out a breath she had not realized she had been holding and unclenched. Lindsey gave her a comforting hug, which Mel returned gratefully.

Mel forced herself to stay and watch the remainder of the task. She watched Krum and Delacour without a trace of panic or worry. Then it was Harry's turn. When they brought out the giant black dragon with a spiked tail, Mel's legs almost gave out from panic. Mel heard the volume of the arena lower at the sight of it. _Everything has to happen to Harry, doesn't it?_ she thought. Her worries were nothing though. Harry flew so well that he only got a shallow scratch. Mel slipped away from her friends as they politely cheered for Harry.

She sprinted to the champion's tent to see Cedric and check that Harry was ok. When she entered, she saw Cedric sitting on a movable exam table with thick orange paste on his left shoulder and face. She walked over to him, glancing at Harry as she did. He looked relieved, happy even.

"Hey," she said, kissing his right cheek. However, she got a whiff of the orange paste and pulled back quickly.

"Yeah, it smells pretty bad," Cedric laughed.

"You did good," she said. "Came in second. Harry and Krum tied."

"I watched the rest, despite Madam Pomfrey's protests," he said quietly. "I think I was most impressed by Harry. I never thought of flying. That was smart."

"Yes, very. I'm just glad you both are all right. You'll hear how I was a nervous wreck later," Mel said, rolling her eyes.

"I didn't doubt that for a second," he teased.

"How does that feel, Mr. Diggory?" Madam Pomfrey asked, walking through the curtain divider.

"Fine, smells though."

"Hmm," she said, wiping some of the paste of his cheek. "It looks good. I'll just clean the rest off and you can go."

The smell was still on him as they walked back to the castle, but apart from that and the tear in his shirt, you could not tell he had been hurt.

"So, the next task is not until February?" Mel asked.

"The twenty-fourth," he confirmed. "Merlin, I'm hungry!"

"I guess fighting dragons will do that. But you might want to wash up before you eat. The rest of us won't be able to with that smell."

"Fine," Cedric said as if that was the last thing he wanted to do.

XXX

Ryan and the other quidditch players put a party together for Cedric. The common room was crazy that night. Ryan and Rickett had nicked a ton of food and butterbear from the kitchens. Someone had charmed their wizard's wireless to be louder than usually possible. Normally, the prefects would have put an end to it, but they all needed to unwind.

"Give me some of that," Mel said to Ryan, holding out her cup.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, pouring some Firewhiskey into her cup. She took a deep drink and started coughing.

"Careful," Lindsey giggled.

Mel ignored her and took another drink. She had not felt this relaxed in forever. Angela grabbed Mel's cup from her and took a drink.

"Hey," Mel said, suddenly annoyed.

"You have to do rounds in thirty minutes. I'm saving you from yourself," Angela said. "How bad would it be for prefect to be caught drunk while on rounds?"

"I'm not drunk," Mel said, grabbing her cup back. The Firewhiskey sloshed over the cup and spilled onto her hands. She dried them on her robes, making a mental note to change when she went up to grab her wand.

"Nice," Angela smirked. "Should we stop Cedric?"

"No, I got one of the Ravenclaw prefects to take his shift. I figured he would need the night off after the task."

"Well aren't you just the good, little girlfriend," Angela said with mock-disdain. Mel took another sip and ignored her.

XXX

Mel was roaming the halls a few minutes later. She had thrown a clean robe over a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Normally, she was good about wearing her uniform on rounds, but she figured it did not really matter tonight. She doubted she would see a professor anyway. She was loosely holding her wand at her side and thinking about pocketing it. She really did not think she would see anyone tonight. Everyone was probably celebrating. With this in mind, she was surprised when she rounded the corner to see someone walking down the corridor.

"Hey," she called. "It's after hours. Go back to your dormitory, or I'll have to report you."

The person spun around: It was Sean. Mel paused for second, but quickly recovered and continued to walk toward him. Why was he in the castle so late?

"You haven't reported me yet," he smirked, sauntering toward her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in a calm voice, though she tightened her grip on her wand as he neared.

"Visiting a friend," he said, stopping in front of her. "Where's your boyfriend? Celebrating with one of the sluts from his fan club? Did he get tired of you?"

"You need to leave," she said firmly.

"Well, look who's not afraid anymore?" he taunted. "And who smells like Firewhiskey. Not a good little girl anymore, I see."

"Go back to your ship," she said, ignoring his taunts.

"I will. First you have to tell me how you did it."

"Did what?" she asked, unable to hide her confusion.

"That day you overreacted. You burned me. How?" he asked, looking her in the eyes.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Now go," she demanded. He took a step closer, so that their faces were only inches apart.

"You will tell me," he said menancingly.

"Fine," she smirked. "_Flagrate!"_

Sparks emitted from her wand. They landed on his robe, causing them to catch fire. He jumped back and scrambled to find his own wand to extinguish them. A few stray sparks hit Mel's neck. She hissed in pain, but began laughing when she saw Sean's antics.

"Go home," she said, walking away.

XXX

The common room was empty when Mel finished rounds. She climbed the stairs to her room as quietly as she could, not wanting to wake anyone. She did the same when entering her dormitory. She shrugged her robe off, grabbed her pajamas, and head for the bathroom. She changed quickly and washed the burns on her neck. They were not bad, just stung a bit and were red. They would be fine in the morning.

She shook her out of her ponytail and crawled into bed. How was it possible that it was only Tuesday?

Mel overslept the next morning. Angela had to shake her awake. Mel got dressed and gathered her school things quickly, though she had to skip breakfast in order to get to Transfiguration on time. Cedric shot her a curious look when she entered. She smiled and pulled her hair over neck, hiding the spark marks.

They were learning to transfigure a particular part of an object or animal into something else. After a half hour of taking notes and learning theory, McGonagall passed out alarm clocks and asked them to transfigure the bells into pincushions. Once they mastered the spell with inanimate objects, she would let them work with live animals.

"This would've been helpful for Cedric before the task," Angela muttered.

"Hmm," Mel said. She attempted the spell, but the clock only rattled a bit.

"What happened to your neck?" Angela asked rather loudly.

"Shh," Mel said, glaring at her and covering her neck again. A few of their classmates shot them odd glances. "It's nothing. A spell backfired is all."

"When?"

"Last night on rounds. Someone was being smart. I lost my temper, and the spell backfired. It's not a big deal; doesn't even hurt," she said nonchalantly.

"So, don't say anything to Cedric?"

"Please?" Mel asked, attempting the spell again.

"Fine," she sighed. "We'll take a trip to the bathroom and cover the marks. I have some foundation in my bag."

"Thank you."

"Of course."

XXX

Mel and Lindsey were walking from Care of Magical Creatures to Herbology in the chilly outdoor corridor.

"I _hate_ those things," Lindsey said, referring to the Blast-Ended Skrewts. They were about six feet long now. They looked like giant, armored, grey lobsters, but uglier.

"Agreed, but at least we were warm," Mel said, trying to make her friend feel better. They had spent the last hour trying to take the monsters on walks.

"Oh shut it," Lindsey grumbled.

"There you are," a voice behind them said. Mel turned and saw Cedric walking toward them.

"There's our champion," Mel joked. He chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I'm amazed you made it to class this morning."

"I wasn't as drunk as I looked. That was definitely more of an adrenaline high after, you know, fighting a dragon," Cedric said cockily. "You were almost late for class though."

"Yeah, overslept. Yesterday was just a bit strenuous for me, you know," Mel said, copying his tone.

"Has anyone told you two how sickeningly cute you are," Lindsey said, pretending to gag. Mel rolled her eyes, but the two stopped and Cedric dropped his arm and took Mel's hand instead. They were working in Greenhouse One today. Professor Sprout had them pruning the flutterby bushes and deadly nightshade plants. Mel decided Sprout was giving them a down day because of Cedric's success yesterday (and she probably knew most of them had not had a lot of sleep due to last night's celebrations).

All the Hufflepuffs looked relieved, while the Slytherins looked bored. If the plant did not have the potential to kill or maim, the Slytherins were bound to be bored—which is probably why they were all managing the deadly nightshade plants. Mel enjoyed working with the futterby bushes. They quivered and shook at loud noises, so you had to be quiet and gentle when pruning them. However, their fluttering leaves were quite cool to see, so keeping the plants calm was worth it.

Professor Sprout ended class a bit early. After they had cleaned up and put the tools away, she called their attention to her.

"During the Triwizard Tournament, it is tradition for the hosting school to hold the Yule Ball," Sprout said, looking almost as excited as the female students. Angela caught Mel's eye and mouthed, "I told you so."

"It is a time to relax and get to know our guests. However," she said, her voice becoming stern, "all school rules will be strictly enforced. Anyone seen disregarding these rules and embarrassing Hogwarts will be severely punished."

The Slytherins sniggered: Professor Sprout was not very threatening, but Mel was sure Snape would reiterate this later and they would not laugh then. They were dismissed, but Cedric was called back. Melissa walked back to the castle for dinner, listening to a very animated Angela the whole way.

"Ok, I demand to both your hair and make-up," Angela said, looking at Mel and Lindsey.

"Fine," Mel said, knowing it was a losing battle to say no.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Lindsey said, sounding anxious. "I still don't have a date."

"Well, you can always ask _him_. There's no law that says he has to ask you," Mel said as they climbed the steps to the castle entrance. They all knew the 'him' in question was Rickett, but no one wanted to embarrass Lindsey in case someone overheard their conversation. Lindsey had said their date had gone well and they had been spending more time together since, but that did not always mean anything.

"Or," Angela said, drawing out the word, "you can go with someone else, and make him jealous."

"Oh, that'll end well," Drew muttered under his breath. Mel did not bother to hide her laugh as Angela had heard and was now glaring at him.

"You are aware that you're taking me to the ball, aren't you?" she asked as they all sat at the Hufflepuff table.

"Yes," he groaned as if just thinking about it was painful. He then smiled and kissed her forehead, causing Angela to blush.

Mel and Lindsey caught each other's eye and had to look away quickly. Angela had never blushed because someone kissed her on the forehead, no one but Drew had been able to do that. Lindsey often said they were more sickly cute than Mel and Cedric, which Mel believed because she and Cedric fought or gave each other a hard time in public.

Ryan came and sat down next to Mel, looking a little pouty. Mel suppressed a smirk.

"We missed you in class today," she said.

"I needed the sleep," he said, piling his plate with food. "You would've if you'd drank as much as I had."

"I suppose if I hadn't had prefect duties I might have," she said, helping herself to some beef stew.

"I can't believe he did that to me," Ryan muttered before taking a bite out of a chicken leg. He shot a sideways glare at Mel as he chewed.

"It's not my fault. I did not tell him to do that," Mel said, holding up her hands defensively.

"Sure it wasn't."

Mel rolled her eyes and ate a spoonful of stew. There had been a dramatic change in Cedric's female (and some male, Mel noted) admirers since their overly public kiss the night before. They had been less giggly and not forcing their presence on him or following him around the castle at all. Ryan was upset because the girls had been paying him almost as much attention just because he was Cedric's best friend. Apparently, he was not getting as much attention as before. The size of his ego amazed Mel at times.

"Get over it. There's a ball. Girls will be falling over themselves to go out with you."

"Don't patronize me," he said, though he looked a little happy. "Oh here's the traitor. I don't know why I ever encouraged you to go out with this girl."

"So you didn't have to listen to me pine after her anymore," Cedric said, sitting down on the other side of Mel.

"What did Sprout want?" Mel asked.

"She told me that the champions and their dates open the Yule Ball."

Mel grimaced. "You hate me."

"It won't be that bad," Cedric said, shaking his at her reaction.

"Do I have to?" Mel whined.

"I just said I _pined_ after you! What more do you want?" Cedric asked feigning frustration.

"Fine," Mel pouted.

Ryan sniggered. "I'm taking this as some higher force getting you back."

"Whatever," Mel shrugged. "At least I don't have to find a date."

**AN: Hope you enjoyed it. I've hit a bit of a writer's block, but hopefully it will be gone soon and I'll be able to write chapter 18 (however, if I'm late updating, i've warned you here).**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**AN: Sorry for not updating in FOREVER! Between moving and classes, I haven't had a lot of chances to write. I hope this extra long chapter can make up for the wait. Thank you all for being patient with me (and sending me plot suggestions to help with writer's block), I really appreciate it.**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.**

Mel thought the castle had looked like a small Christmas village in past years, but the staff had really outdone themselves this year. The suits of armor had been polished and charmed to sing Christmas carols—though they did this rather poorly and the staff was often chasing Peeves out them. The paintings had been cleaned and straightened and there was garland on all the banisters. Even the food was better and richer than normal.

As the ball drew nearer, the rumors grew wilder. They ranged from the type of entertainment that may have been booked to how extravagant the food and decorations were going to believe. While Mel would have loved to have used her powers to find out which rumors were true, she forcing herself to study the books and scrolls Sirius had given her, which was proving difficult to do with all the class work the professors were giving. So, Mel found herself in her corner of the library on another Friday night.

It had been weird at first, to read the book that was the reason for her existence. It had been even weirder to read the actual incantation. Sometimes just holding the book gave her chills. Besides the incantation, she had not read much of anything that would help her. Currently, she was trudging through some text about things she could only describe (and loosely translate) as 'The Powers that Be': destiny, evil, good, love, hate, and even sight.

"This is so weird," she muttered.

"What's weird?" a voice behind her asked, causing her to jump. She turned to see a laughing Cedric pulling out a chair and sitting next to her.

"That I'm still dating you," she said seriously. She glared at him and then went back to deciphering the tome in front of her.

"That's not very nice," Cedric pouted.

"Neither was scaring me," she said.

"You get testy when you spend too much time in here," he sighed. "Learned anything yet?"

"Yeah, but it might warp your sense of the world if I tell you."

"Try me."

"Ok," she sighed, sitting back in her chair and stretching her sore neck. "So, basically I'm apart of this group of glow-y lights that can affect the human realm. My 'counterpart' is destiny. I think it has some sort of control over what I'm allowed to see."

"You're right. That warps my sense of what's what," Cedric said, shifting in his chair.

"Messes with your mind," Mel mumbled, stretching her arms above her head. "Think of what it does to me!"

"Hey, I have an idea," Cedric said, spinning her around to face him. "Take a break from all this."

"I will…over Christmas break."

"Oh, come on!" Cedric said exasperatedly.

"I'm sorry. Did you suffer some kind of memory loss and forget why I'm doing all this?"

"To save Harry and me," he said tonelessly, unable to stop the slight eye roll.

"Just to save you actually," she mumbled.

"What?" Cedric asked taken aback.

"Harry's not going to die," Mel said, closing the book and turning to face Cedric. "I was able to keep the vision in my head and not lose anything. I wasn't able to expand on it, but I was able to manipulate the situation. But no matter what I did, you always died and Voldemort always came back. I've accepted that I can't stop Voldemort from coming back. It's clearly what's supposed to happen, but I refuse to accept that you're supposed to die."

"Oh," Cedric said, looking pale.

"I shouldn't have told you that, should I?"

"It's ok," he said, giving a small smile. "It's weird, but good to know these things. I appreciate everything that you're doing."

"You should," she said, forcing a smile as well.

"But now we both need a break. Get your things, and let's get out of here," he said, standing up. "You can work on all this tomorrow, ok?"

"All right," she caved under his grey stare. She put the book and scrolls into her bag. "So, what are we doing?"

"We're going to go to the kitchen and eat a lot of desserts and then who knows," he shrugged.

"You're going to lose that wonderful quidditch physique if we keep sneaking desserts," she teased.

"I take offense to that," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist as they walked. "I work out everyday."

XXX

It was finally the last day of classes, and two days before the ball. Mel had snuck out of her dormitory early the day after classes let out to do some more research. If she could get far enough, she would be to enjoy the holidays without too much guilt. Thankfully, she did not have too much schoolwork to do. She read through the scrolls that morning. While the information was interesting, she had to find anything that was useful. She was just about to give up and go meet her friends for lunch, when she stumbled across something while packing up.

She read the rest of the scroll hastily. Excited, she rolled it up and made a mark on it and the next scroll so she could find them later. She then threw her things into her bag and quickly left the library, nearly knocking down a few students as she did. She reached the entrance to the Great Hall just as Cedric and Ryan came up form the Hufflepuff common room. Not caring that there were a bunch of people around, she practically bounded over to them, threw her arms around Cedric's neck, and kissed him full on the mouth.

"Please tell me what I did so I can be greeted like that everyday," Cedric said when she had pulled away. She smiled, loosened her arms, and whispered, "I think I found away to change things."

She let go and stared at his expression of shock and excitement. He mouthed wordlessly for a few seconds before recovering. He knew he could not say anything since Ryan—who was looking very confused—was there.

"All right then," he said slowly. "Lunch?"

"Yes, that would be nice," she said, linking arms with him and leading them into the hall.

"What just happened?" Ryan asked. "She's not pregnant, is she?"

Mel turned to glare at him and Cedric hit him on the back of his head.

"Hey!" he said, rubbing the back of his head. "It was just a question!"

Mel rolled her eyes as she sat down; Cedric was still glaring at Ryan.

"The dance—" Angela started excitedly.

"And Christmas," Lindsey interjected.

"—is in two days! Who's excited?" Angela squealed.

"Oddly, I actually am," Mel said, feeling lighter and more like herself than she had in months.

"Finally!" Angela sighed. "I was starting to really worry about you."

For once, Mel actually listened to what Angela said and participated in the conversation. Though she was dying to tell Cedric what she had learned, she knew she act like nothing was going on. However, she must not have been doing a good job because Ryan lost it when they started talking about how they were going to wear their hair.

"That's it!" he exclaimed, causing some of their housemates to shoot him funny looks. "Mel does not talk about girly stuff! Something is up and I demand to know what it is!"

Angela, Mel, and Lindsey all sat in silence and stared at him. Cedric rolled his eyes his, pushed his food away, and got up, tugging Ryan up with him.

"I'll talk to him," Cedric said, leading Ryan out of the hall.

"Thank you," Angela said, looking very confused. "What's his problem?"

"No idea," Mel said, trying not to laugh. "Anyways, I don't really want something that elaborate…"

XXX

"What the hell is going on?" Ryan asked as Cedric led him outside the hall and to a side corridor.

"Calm down," Cedric said, releasing him. "It's just something private between me and Mel. There's no reason for you to freak like this. Why did you think she was pregnant?"

"I don't know," Ryan said, looking uncomfortable. "She was acting weird; weird for Mel that is. And, well, you guys have been together for almost a year and sneak off all the time…I don't know it seemed possible."

Cedric felt his face warm, as he understood what Ryan was trying to say. "Well, er, she's not. It's nothing like that," Cedric said not meeting Ryan's gaze. "No reason to be concerned."

"Good, good," he said. "Wait. None? No reason _at all?_"

"I don't understand how you come to that conclusion, but barely pass your classes," Cedric sighed, trying to change the subject.

"Oh Merlin, you're waiting till she's ready," Ryan said, horror written all over his face. "The rest of us have no hope if she ever tells someone that. Shit! Can you do nothing wrong?"

"Are you done?" Cedric asked, his face bright red.

"Yeah," he said, calm again. He walked over and pat Cedric on the back. "I guess your life isn't as perfect as everyone thinks it is."

"You have no idea," Cedric muttered, remembering that Mel had had a break through and needed to talk to him.

XXX

"So," Cedric said, sitting down next to Mel in the common room. "What did you find out?"

"It's iffy, but there's a potion that will expand my powers," she whispered, looking around to make sure no one was listening.

"And that helps how?" Cedric asked, not following.

"In theory, I'll be able to fake your death, thus keeping you from getting hurt or killed," she explained. When he still looked confused, she continued. "You know how I can tap into people's minds? And they go into a trance? The potion will allow me to do that without any problems. The person won't even have to be near me! I'll just put you in a trance, and then you'll survive. I already tested it in my head. We can change things, Cedric."

"All right. 'Sounds good to me," Cedric said, swallowing nervously.

"I know there's still a lot to work out—to make sure it'll work. I really do think the potion is the best option, and I'll work all that out as I brew it. It takes a month to brew, so I need to start soon. But you think it'll work?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course," he said, tucking loose hair strands behind her ear. "I trust you."

She smiled and pushed herself on her knees to kiss him.

"Can you make these discoveries more often? Because I seem to get a lot of attention when you do," he teased.

"You're horrible," she said, pulling away and grabbing her bag. "See you later. I have to go check my potion ingredients."

XXX

Mel woke up late on Christmas Day, though she was still up before Lindsey and Angela. Happily, in Mel's opinion, Tara and Julie were already gone.

Mel knew their dislike of each other was silly and childish, but, in her defense, they had started it. It all began with their dislike of her because she was not (or so they assumed as she was an orphan and could not prove otherwise) a pureblood. In their early years at Hogwarts, the two girls had taunted her about either her blood or lack of parents. After she began (openly) dating Cedric, their dislike had grown into hate. The taunting had ended and now they pretended she did not even exist. Occasionally they would drop a few insults when Mel and Cedric fought they would—mainly that he would realize she was filth and not good enough for him. Mel always ignored them, as she had done since first year. They were not worth her time.

Quietly, Mel crawled out of bed and walked over to Lindsey's bed. She pulled back the curtains on Lindsey's bed and shook her awake. Lindsey was groggy and gave her an annoyed look. Mel ignored her, gestured for her to be quiet, and pointed to Angela's bed. Understanding dawned on Lindsey's face and she too got out of bed. The two girls tiptoed across the floor and stood on either side of Angela's bed, each slowly and quietly drawing back the curtains. They were still a moment, then jumped on the bed, causing Angela to scream.

"You both are horrible!" she shouted as she hit and kicked at them. Mel and Lindsey laughed and pushed themselves to the end of the bed, each grinning proudly.

"Happy Christmas!" Mel smiled.

Angela glared at her. "I should take back your present."

"Oh, come on Angie," Mel said, putting on a pouty face. "We were just having a little fun."

"Well, if I hadn't been the victim, I'm sure I would have found it funny too," Angela sighed.

Mel got up and hugged her, then walked over to her bed. "Hurry up and open your presents. I'm hungry."

Her friends rolled their eyes, but eagerly began going through the pile of presents at the feet of their beds. Mel's pile was small. As usual, Angela, Lindsey, and Cedric had gotten her something, but she noticed that Victoria had sent her something as well. Angela had given her something that went in her hair and a shawl to go with her dress for the Yule Ball. Lindsey had given her a yellow sundress and matching shoes. She loved both gifts, but Victoria and Cedric's were her favorites.

Victoria had made her a quilt: it looked like stained glass. There were blocks of deep reds, purples, blues, greens, oranges, and yellows. On closer inspection, she saw each block was made of six other small blocks. Each big block, the edges, and back of the quilt were in a black fabric with a faint floral design on it. Mel knew it must have taken Victoria forever to make it, and was so appreciative that she had given it to her. Cedric's gift was simple, but she knew it must have taken him forever to find it. It was an old Divination book—it looked like it was close in age to the stuff Sirius had given her. It too was written in runes, but there was a summary of its contents written in English on the inside of the front cover.

Smiling, she set the book and quilt down on her bed. She then got up and rummaged for a comfy pair of jeans and a clean sweater. Lindsey and Angela were still opening their presents, so she decided to go to lunch without them. She had to carefully navigate the crowded common room to get to the door as there were so many people showing off their presents to one another. The openness of the corridor was a relief after she had tripped over so many people as she left the common room.

Mel was surprised to find the Great Hall rather empty. Though she was not surprised to find Cedric, Ryan, and Drew shuffling down mouthfuls of food. _They must have been up playing quidditch already,_ she thought.

"Happy Christmas," she said, sitting down at the table.

"'Ame 'o 'ou," Ryan said through a mouthful of food. Mel made a disgusted face and rolled her eyes at the boy.

"Sorry about him," Cedric said, cutting into his chicken. He leaned over and gave her a small peck. "Manners just aren't his strong suit."

"How about a rematch, Mel?" Ryan asked, his mouth now void of food.

"We've had a rematch, several actually. Remember?" Mel asked as she made a sandwich. "Drew and I won."

"Well, I want another one," he shrugged.

"Maybe another day," she sighed. "Angela's demanded that I keep myself clean today and not make her job too difficult. She said she has enough to work with as it is."

"Sounds harsh, just like Angela," Drew muttered.

"I can only imagine the abuse you put up with," Mel said sympathetically.

"You sure you can't play one game," Cedric asked, a playful glint in his eye. "I did teach you all those new quidditch moves. It'd be a shame to let them go to waste, and it'd be great to see you kick Ryan's arse using them."

"Well, I guess one game wouldn't hurt too much," she caved.

"Great!" Ryan said enthusiastically. "Eat quickly and go get your things. We'll distract Angela so you can get out of the castle without her seeing."

"Only _one_ game," Mel emphasized.

"Promise," Ryan said solemnly.

XXX

"I can't believe you did this!" Angela complained as she looked at Mel. Mel was sweaty; her face covered in mud, and her hair was in knots.

"Drew and I won," she said meekly.

"Shower. Now." Angela demanded. Mel did as instructed, gathering her towel and bathrobe she headed toward the girls' showers. "And use my shampoo and conditioner!" Angela yelled after her.

Mel stripped out of her snow and sweat soaked clothes and hopped into the shower. The hot water felt great on her skin, which was now bright red. She used as little of Angela's soaps as she could: The smell of lavender was pretty, but too strong for her. Mel showered quickly, throwing on her bathrobe and running a comb through her hair when she got out. She exited the bathroom and saw her dress and shoes laid out on her bed.

Angela was already dressed on her hair and make up were done. She was wearing a light blue, strapless, ball-gown dress. The top of the dress was a corset design, tied in the back with matching blue ribbon. The hem and top of the torso had a glittery silver trim. Her hair was pulled up in an intricate bun.

"I'm almost done with Lindsey," Angela said, as she magically waved Lindsey's pin-straight red hair. "Just sit on your bed and don't touch anything."

Mel did as instructed. She watched as Angela finished Lindsey's hair, which ended up with some front strands being held back by a hairclip with a fluttering butterfly.

"Where's the hairclip I got you?" Angela asked, walking over to her.

"On the nightstand."

Angela accioed it to her and went to work. She had Mel hold very still while she applied the make-up. Mel thought it felt weird and heavy on her skin, but did not say anything to Angela, who was only trying to help her. She finished the make up quickly and went to work on Mel's hair. Like she did with Lindsey, Angela used her wand to style Mel's hair. Out of the corners of her eyes, Mel watched as her hair was magically dried and done into tight curls. Angela put her wand done and Mel could feel Angela pull her back clip it up. She finished it all in about fifteen minutes.

"Put your dress on, then I'll let you see what you look like," Angela ordered. Mel grabbed her dress and underclothes and went back into the bathroom. Her dress was a deep purple. The fabric was light on her skin and flowed with her movements. It was a one-shouldered, Greek-inspired dress. There was a slit on right side that went up to her knee. The dress stopped right above her ankles. She took a deep breath and looked in the mirror.

For a minute she did not recognize herself. She had never looked so put together before her. The tight curls were pulled back into a loose bun, which was adorned (and probably held up) with the light green flower clips Angela had given her. Angela had done the barely there look with her make-up. The eyeliner was a deep plum and the eye shadow had a faint purple tint to it, but was mostly glitter. Her lips were a soft pink.

"I have to say," she said, walking back into the room. "You did a really good job."

"I know," Angela said, appraising her work. "Now let's go meet our dates."

Mel slipped on her shoes, which Angela had mercifully allowed to be low heels, and followed her friends down the stairs. The common room was packed full of people talking and meeting their dates.

"Cedric's meeting me outside the Great Hall," Mel said.

"Ok. Let us find Drew and Anthony, and we'll walk with you," Angela said, spotting Drew and walking over to him. Mel stayed close to Angela and Drew as they walked to the Hall. Lindsey and Anthony hung back a bit, having a private conversation that was making Lindsey blush. Mel spotted Cedric and fell behind the other two so he could not see her. Mel walked through the crowd and behind Cedric. He was talking to Ryan when she approached him.

"Hi there," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist. He turned around and looked at her, briefly wearing a confused expression.

"Mel? Wow, you look…you're beautiful," he stuttered.

"You have Angela to thank," she said, looping her arm around his.

"Are you sure that's Mel?" Ryan asked. "The girl we played quidditch with earlier?"

"Go find your date," Mel said, glaring. The boys laughed, and Ryan left. "Who did he con into going with him?"

"Cho," Cedric said, suddenly interested in the ceiling.

"You're kidding me," she deadpanned. "Why did he do that?"

"Maybe he likes her," Cedric tried to suggest, but sighed at Mel disbelieving look. "Or he noticed she didn't have a date yet and thought him being friends with me would help in that department. Plus, he knows how she annoys you."

"She does not!" Mel glared.

"Really? Your reaction would suggest differently," he smirked.

"Fine," she whined. "It annoys me that she flirts with you _all the time_."

"Well, maybe she'll fall for Ryan," Cedric said. "Though, this is probably the closest you'll ever be to jealous."

"Oh, shut up," she muttered. He laughed and steered to the line McGonagall was motioning them to join.

"Remind to try and talk to Harry tonight, there's something I need to tell him about the egg," he said.

"What about the egg?" she asked.

"How to open it and get the clue," he whispered back. He kissed her cheek, "You do look very beautiful."

"Thank you," she blushed. "You don't look too bad yourself…. And I'm glad you've worked out the egg."

"Tell you about it later," Cedric said as they walked through the Great Hall in front of their peers and to the head table. Mel suddenly felt very nervous and tightened her grip on Cedric's arm.

The hall looked like it had been encased in ice. The house tables were gone; replaced by smaller, circular tables. The twelve Christmas trees lining the hall were glowing with fairy lights. Above them, streamers and lanterns were hung underneath the starry sky. Mel thought it looked like something out of the muggle fairytales Victoria used to read them.

When they reached the head table, they sat down on the other side of Victor Krum and his date, which Mel recognized as one of Harry's friends. Menus were lying on the table before them. Mel picked hers up and looked at it. She then looked around and saw everyone else was as confused as her. She watched as Dumbledore picked up his menu, read, said "pork chops," and the meal appeared on his plate. Everyone quickly followed his example.

"I wonder how they do did this," Mel said, watching as her chicken appeared on her plate.

"Don't know. It's magic," Cedric teased. Mel rolled her eyes and looked at the head table. Farthest away from her was Harry and his date. He looked nervous and bored. Then again, he was talking to Percy Weasley, who had a knack for putting everyone to sleep. The Ravenclaw quidditch captain, Roger Davies, had accompanied Fleur. He was so captivated by her that his food kept missing his mouth. Mel worked to suppress a giggle, but nudged Cedric and nodded her head in the couple's direction. He looked at them and shook his head.

"It's not really fair to laugh at him. She is part veela after all," Cedric whispered.

"Still, I've never seen anyone look that fascinated by another person."

"I don't know," Cedric whispered in her ear. "Krum seems very fascinated by Granger."

Mel chanced a glance at the couple next to her. Krum and Granger were in deep conversation indeed, with Krum asking most of the questions. Mel doubted he had ever talked so much before. He definitely had the strong and silent thing going for him.

When they had finished eating, Dumbledore stood up and pushed the tables against the walls with a wave of his wand to create a dance floor. With another wave, he raised a stage were the band would perform. The champions and their dates made their way to the floor as the band got situated. The opening song was slow, making Mel more than happy that Cedric could dance: She had never done any kind of formal dancing before, but Cedric had as he had attended many family weddings. He was wearing a very serious and concentrated look, one she only ever saw when he was studying or working on a new quidditch strategy. She laughed.

"What?" he asked, twirling her around.

"Nothing," she said. "You just make me smile."

The song ended and everyone clapped politely. The next few songs were much faster, and their friends quickly joined them. Mel was not sure how long they had been dancing, but she had been dancing so much, her hair was starting to fall down. Angela demanded they go to the bathroom so she could fix it. Reluctantly, Mel and Lindsey followed her out of the hall. Anthony, Cedric, and Drew said they would go get a table and drinks. Mel briefly wondered where Drew and Cho were, but then decided she was probably enjoying the ball more without them around.

The bathroom was crowded with giggling girls talking excitedly about their dates while they touched up their make up and fix their hair. The girls had to shove their way inside. Angela fixed up Mel's hair and make up first. As soon as she was done, Mel made her way outside, saying she would wait for the girls in the corridor. Once in the corridor, she leaned against the cool stonewall, closed her eyes, and began fanning herself. Between the dancing and crowded bathroom, she was dying of heat.

She had barely been there a minute before she found herself being pulled outside by a vice grip on her upper arm.

"Let go of me, Sean!" she demanded, trying to twist her arm out of his grip. He ignored her, and took them to the courtyard. Mel would have admired the fairy lights and rose bushes (and how it did not feel cold) more if had not fallen into a pile of snow when Sean let her go. She pushed herself up, and shook the snow off herself as she backed away from him. She cursed herself for leaving her wand in her dormitory.

"What do you want?" she asked, looking around for any other person, but finding no one.

"Oh, thoughts of things," he smirked, his raking over her body. Instinctively, she folded her arms in front of her. "But first I want to know how you did it."

"For the last time," she said, anger overcoming fear, "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Think real hard," he said, pulling out his wand and walking toward her. She backed away, but found herself trapped against the base of a statue. "That day, you burned me without a wand or spell. Those burns took weeks to heal even with the aid of magic! I want to know how you did it!"

"Sometimes when a young witch or wizard is frightened or angry their magic will act of their own accord. That's probably all it was!" Feeling brave, she pushed herself off the statue and walked toward him, stopping halfway.

"You're wrong," he said quietly, walking toward her. His eyes were quite manic, making Mel wish she had her wand. "I've seen those accidents, they're nothing compared to that. You're different, special. I could always sense that about you…" He stopped right in front of her, only a few inches away.

"You're crazy!" she spat, taking a step back. Her palms were starting to sweat. There was no way she could run: she was in heels and he had a wand.

He laughed coldly. "Maybe, but I'm right and you know it. That pretty boy you have in there doesn't realize you're true potential, but I do. He'll only hold you back. I could help you reach your true potential."

"You're insane! There is nothing different about me. I am a normal witch like everyone else here," she insisted. Her stomach was twisting in knots though. Was he just crazy or did he know something?

"You don't remember, do you?" he asked, looking surprised.

"Remember what?"

"We come from the same place. We were just summoned by two different sides."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said, but her voice shook. How could that be possible? Surely Dumbledore would have known?

"Stop playing games, _Melissa_. If you just tell me how you figured out how to perform wandless magic in this horrible human form, I'll leave you alone for the rest of the year. I swear."

Mel's head was swimming, but she forced herself to focus on getting away from him.

"You need help. I am a normal human being—"

He laughed mirthlessly over her. "You are just as human as I am, _Sight_."

Mel could not deny it even if she could not explain it to herself. She continued to back away and circle around him, but decided to keep him talking.

"What are you? Who brought you here?"

"I'm pain," he smirked. "And who else? Some group of Death Eaters, who all long dead. We should have been able to work together, you know. Together, we could have ended this pointless wizard war and gone home. But it's clear to me that you've been infected by you're human side."

"I'd rather be entirely human than like you," she said haughtily. "And just so you know, you and I can never be together in any sense of the word."

This last statement sent him over the edge. He raised his wand and sent a spell at her. She tried to dodge it, but it still ended up hitting her shoulder and knocking her backward. He was looming over her when she pushed herself up. For a moment, she thought he was going to kill her. Then his wand flew out of his hand.

Mel turned to see Snape and Karkaroff half-running toward them. Snape stopped by her to help her up, and bandaged her shoulder with a wave of his wand. Karkaroff was shouting at Sean in a language she assumed was Bulgarian. Sean glared at her, but went back to the ship with Karkaroff without another word.

"You should go see Madam Pomfrey," Snape said.

"I'm fine. It's just a scratch. Thank you, Professor."

"Come with me, you should speak with Professor Dumbledore at the least."

She followed him back inside the castle. He left her in the small classroom next to the Hall while he went to get Dumbledore. She took the time to clam herself and try to process what she had learned, but it scared her too much to think about long. What did this mean? Could—would—Sean tell the Death Eaters and Voldemort about her? Would they come after her if he did? Dumbledore had Snape wait outside the classroom while Mel told him what had happened.

"I see," he said after she had finished. "I suppose it was wishful thinking that only our side had found these incantations. I will have Professor Moody keep a closer eye on him if he stays. I believe Karkaroff is threatening to send him back to Durmstrang."

"I can't say I wouldn't feel better if he was that far away," Mel said. "Sir, may I go now? I really need to get back to my friends. I've been gone so long…."

"You're sure you don't need to go to the Hospital Wing?" he asked, gazing at her with his x-ray-like stare.

"I'm fine."

"Alright," he said, motioning for her to leave. She slipped out of the room, past Snape, and into the entryway, where she saw Cedric coming out of the Great Hall.

"Where have you been?" he asked as she walked toward him. She did not answer. Instead, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"Hey, what's wrong? What happened to your arm?" he asked, concerned. Mel buried her head into his chest, unable to speak. She took a deep breath and entered his mind. However, instead of looking for information, she gave him everything she had just learned. When she had finished sharing, he just held her tighter.

"I'm sorry," she said, pulling away and wiping her eyes. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"It's all right. Just give me one minute, and I'll take you back to the dormitory, ok?" he asked, wiping stray tears off her face. She nodded and forced a smile to show she was ok. She watched him bound up the stairs and tell Harry something about the egg. He was back by her side in a minute and they walked back to the dormitory in silence, Cedric's arms wrapped around her protectively.

"Are you sure you're ok?" he asked. They were at the foot of the stairs to the girls' room. The common room was fairly empty as most everyone was still at the dance. "You can sleep in my room if you want."

Mel shook her head. "I'm ok. I'm sorry about tonight, I really am."

"Don't worry about it," he said, kissing her. "Good night."

"Good night. I love you."

"I love you too."

Mel smiled and walked upstairs to her room. She slipped out of her dress and into her pajamas, used her wand to take her hair down and make up off, and climbed into bed. Praying she would be asleep before the others got back, and that they would not wake her up.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.**

It was three in the morning and Mel could not get back to sleep. One of her roommates—she had no idea which—had just stumbled in the room, giggling and stumbling loudly. Now that she was awake, the memories from that night were coming back to her, making her nervous and restless. Trying to get back to sleep, she tossed and turned for a few minutes before giving up. Quietly, she got up, slipped on her dressing gown and slippers, grabbed her wand, and left the dormitory. The common room was, thankfully, empty when she reached it. She had to use her wand to get to the portrait hole as the fire had burned itself out.

The corridors were also empty. Even Mrs. Norris and the ghosts were absent on her way to the prefect's bathroom on the fifth floor. She rarely went there. Mel thought it was a bit ridiculous that the prefects had their own bathroom. It was nice—beautiful even; but Mel always felt guilty filling up the pool-sized tub to bathe in. The showers were not as crazy (and more private), so she would occasionally use them. However, she would mostly use the small sitting room to study or practice her seeing skills.

"Pine fresh," she said, reaching the portrait hole. The painting swung open, revealing the giant marble tub. Mel stepped inside and closed the painting behind her. As she walked to the sitting room, which was located behind the pool-like bath, she noticed the bath was full of water. She briefly wondered if someone was in the bathroom with her, but, upon not seeing anyone or hearing anything, she figured someone had forgotten to drain the tub.

Mel cast a spell to ignite the fire in the sitting room when she entered. She then used another spell to turn on the lights. The small room was warm in a matter of minutes. Mel took off her dressing gown, shoes, and even the sweater she normally slept in, leaving her in a tank top and fleece pants.

She paced the room, trying not to think about what Sean had said, but unable to stop herself. She paused in front of the full-length mirror in the corner. She took a few steps closer and looked at herself, really looked at herself. Her light green eyes were tired. There were make up smudges on her face and her was turning into messy, bed head waves as the curls became loose. She was average height, and pale. She was human.

There was no teal-coloured glow about her. She bled. She got sick. She laughed and had fun. She cared about people. She did not hover around with a bunch of glowing forces that influenced people's lives—not anymore at least. She was human, and she was very much attached to it and the people she loved.

The feeling of a vision suddenly overwhelmed her. She felt her legs get weak, and her knees buckle under her. She lay on the ground, unable to move, waiting for the vision. However, instead of the pressure of a vision forcing itself into her mind, she felt a force pulling her out of her mind.

She blinked.

She looked around her: She was in some dark room surrounded by many different colored glowing lights. Out of habit, she tried to grab for her wand, but found she could not. Not only did she not have her wand, but she did not have a body either. She began to panic.

"What's going on?" she muttered. She watched as a blue-white orb moved toward her.

"Do not be afraid, Sight," it said with a female-like voice. "We have only called you back for a visit. You will be returned shortly."

"Who—What are you?" she asked, briefly wondering how she could talk with no mouth.

"I am Destiny and this is Death and his cohort Pain, whom I believe you know from your human life," the light explained as a pure white light, Death, and a blood red light, Pain, floated forward.

"Why am I here?" she asked, finally understanding where she was and whom she was with.

"I felt you needed to be reminded what you are, and what your true assignment is. We only agreed to let you help the humans because Voldemort will destroy too much without our assistance. _That _is your purpose. You must abandon this plan to save Cedric Diggory. He is too much of a distraction to your human form. You must let him go."

"What?" she yelled. "I can't do that. He's innocent! If you want to stop Voldemort why don't you let me see _how_ he's coming back, so I can stop him?"

"THAT IS NOT THE PLAN!" Destiny raged. "There are events that must come to pass, and this is one of them. You agreed to that before we sent you to earth."

"Well, I don't remember that," Mel replied haughtily. "And why is _Pain_ there? Why did he know about all this?"

"The ones that summoned him knew more than those who summoned you. They have spent the past few years educating him. As for why he was called, we are not sure. The humans probably thought he would help their side. However, his humanity has not affected him as yours as you, and we are not worried about him aiding the wrong side."

"I can't say I agree with you," Mel said, thinking about earlier in the evening.

"Nevertheless," Destiny said, "you must agree to stand aside, and not save this boy. If you don't, there will be grave consequences for you from both Death and myself, as it is our paths that you will have disrupted."

"I can't do that," Mel said firmly.

"We know, but you needed to be given the choice," Death said. "Pain will stay with me for a time, but he will be sent back soon. He needs to be…reigned in."

"But I can go back now, correct?" she asked.

"As you wish," Death said.

"Remember our warning," Destiny murmured.

Mel eyes shot open and she coughed from inhaling to deeply. She was back in the prefect's sitting room. She sat up slowly, which helped her to stop coughing. She looked herself over for bruises and scrapes, but she seemed to have missed the furniture in her fall. Mel sighed and wiped the wetness from the corner of her eye.

She could not let him die. Especially since she knew how to save him. Saving him could not mess up the grand design too much, right? Even as she thought it, she knew it would. She understood how fragile the grand design was. They were right: she was too human. She sighed and pushed herself off the ground.

"Mel, what are you doing here? Are you ok?"

Mel turned to see Cedric standing in the doorway. His hair was wet and he only had a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Fine, I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep," Mel said, nervously tucking some hair behind her ear. "You?"

"Er, well, some the guys had guests over and I thought this was a good place to go. I could shower and sleep," he said, running his hand through his wet hair. She noticed he was looking at the corner of the room where, she saw, there was a pile of clothes.

"Oh," she blushed. She did not really need to know what was going in the boys' dormitory. "Cedric?" she asked, walking toward him.

"Hmm?"

"Do you think I'm human?"

"Of course," he said, eyebrows furrowed. She stopped in front of him, struggling to keep her breathing calm. "Why?"

"No reason," she whispered.

She threw arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. Water seeped through her clothes from his skin. Her fingers knotted in his hair as she pushed herself closer to him. He broke the kiss and pushed her back a bit by her hips.

"Mel," he said, his voice thick and husky. "What, er, how—you sure?"

She stepped backward and slipped off her pajama pants, leaving her in her underwear and now wet tank top. She stepped in front of him and wrapped her arms around his neck again. "Yes."

This time Cedric pulled her to him and initiated the kissing. He lifted her up on the back of the couch. She wrapped her legs around his waist in response. She moaned as he kissed her neck. His towel slipped off, causing him to finish helping her out of her clothes. He paused before slipping of her underwear, to see if she was still sure. She slid her hands down his arms and guided his hands.

XXX

Mel lay on the floor, snuggled next to Cedric. She was tired, but she did not want to fall asleep just yet. If she had not defied the powers before, she really had now. She had just tied herself to a human, and the one they wanted her to let die. She laid her head on his chest and lightly traced the lines of his muscles with her fingers. He stirred, his arm instinctually wrapping around her.

"You ok?" he asked, his voice groggy.

"Yes, my love, please stop worrying," she said, kissing him lightly. He reached up and grabbed a throw blanket it off the couch and placed it over them. Previously, they had only been covered by his towel and her dressing gown. He shifted so he was lying on his side, and began playing with a strand of her hair.

"You're not thinking or overanalyzing anything, are you?" he teased.

"Only thinking good things, promise," she smiled. He gave a half-smile and kissed her forehead. "One question," he whispered into her ear. "Why now?"

"Because I love you," she said simply.

"Yes, and while I've known that for a while, you only just said it for the first time earlier tonight," he said. "And this was after the big Sean revelation. I just want to make sure in the next twenty-four hours you don't freak out on me and regret this."

"The only thing Sean did was make me realize how much I love you," she said, stroking his cheek with her thumb. "I just decided you should know that, _really_ know that."

"Trust me," he smirked. "I do."

"Good," she said, leaning up and kissing him again. "Now lay down and shush. I'm exhausted."

Smirking, he did as she instructed. She scooted up next to his side, so she could lay her head on his chest again. She fell asleep, feeling safe and calm as she listened to his steady breathing and strong heartbeat.

**AN: Happy late Fourth! I know this chapter is short, but I don't feel like anything else is needed. Anyways, the next few chapters will probably decent length as I am going to try and finish up the tournament soon. **


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.**

"You're sure you're ready for tomorrow?" Mel asked as she ran her fingers through Cedric's hair. They were in the common room: Mel was sitting in an arm chair trying to study and Cedric was sitting on the floor, leaning against the armchair and scanning his potion's essay.

"I promise," he said, tilting his head back to look at her. "In fact, I think it's going to be much easier than the first task. There aren't any dragons, at least."

Mel sighed and absently turned the page of her Herbology text. Cedric's explanation of tomorrow's events failed to soothe her nerves. The second task was the next morning. She could not believe it was here already, but the nervous twisting knots in her stomach assured her it was.

"Hey," he said, turning around and taking one of her hands in his. "It'll be fine, ok? Just try to relax."

"I hate this stupid tournament," she muttered. He sighed in defeat and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Hey Mel, Sprout wants to see you in her office. Just Mel, mate," Ryan added as Cedric made to get up.

"What for?" Mel asked, getting up and putting her books in her school.

"She didn't say," he shrugged.

"Will make sure Angela or Lindsey takes this up to the room?" she asked Cedric as she handed him her bag.

"Sure," he said, taking her bag. He gave her a quick peck and whispered, "It'll be fine."

She forced a smile and nodded. "Good night."

Mel walked to Professor Sprout's office, which was on the second floor. The corridors were strangely busy for the late hour. Given, she saw mostly professors and prefects, but it was still more people than she would normally see while patrolling at this hour. She reached Professor Sprout's office, which two doors down from the faculty's lounge, and knocked.

"Enter."

"Good evening, Professor," Mel said, entering and closing the door behind her. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no, no," Sprout said in what was supposed to be a reassuring manner, but Mel could sense her nervousness. "Please, sit down."

Mel sat in the chair opposite the head of her house, noticing Sprout fidget in her own seat as she did.

"How much has Mr. Diggory told you about tomorrow's task?" Professor Sprout asked.

It was Mel's turn to fidget in her seat. She probably knew more than she was supposed to about the tournament. Was she, or Cedric, in trouble?

"Er…."

"Don't worry, dear," Sprout said, calmly. "I figured he's told you something, if not everything. I'm aware how close you two are."

Mel blushed; hoping Sprout never discovered just how close she was with Cedric. "I know he has to retrieve something from the lake, but that's it."

"Well, he's not really retrieving a thing, per se," Sprout mumbled. She took a deep breath and sighed. "The champions will be retrieving something that is very valuable to them. They will have an hour to do so. The catch is they will be retrieving a person."

"Ok, and I'm here because…?" Mel asked, her voice shaking nervously.

"With your permission, you will be given a potion that will put you into a deep sleep. You then be put under a spell that will allow you to breathe under water. We then place you and the others in the lake, where you will be retrieved by your respective champions. Once you are returned to the surface, you will awaken from your sleep. There is no harm or danger to you in any of this," she added.

Mel laughed humorlessly. No harm in being unconscious at the bottom of a lake for an hour? Who were they trying to kid?

"Um, well, I guess… all right?" she said, not really feeling as if she had a choice.

"Good," Sprout said, sounding as if it was anything but. "If you'll follow me, we'll go to the faculty's lounge and meet the others.

They stood up and walked down the hall to the lounge. When Mel entered, she saw Harry's two friends and a small platinum-haired girl that could only be Fleur's sister already in the room. The girl looked terrified, while the other two were extremely pale. Mel noticed Professor McGonagall in the corner. Her lips were pressed together so tightly they were nearly nonexistent. She looked down right indignant about the situation. Mel sat on the other side of the young girl, and tried to give a reassuring smile.

"In these cups is the sleeping potion," Professor Snape explained in a board tone. "As I'm sure as been explained already, you will only awake once you have been returned from the lake."

The cups were handed to each of them. Mel looked in hers: The potion was an inky purple colour and odorless. She only hoped it was tasteless two. Taking a deep breath, she drank the potion in one gulp. The effects were instantaneous. She felt her eyes droop and close of their own accord. The last thing she was aware was someone laying her down on what she could only assume was a gurney.

XXX

"So, no one's seen Mel?" Cedric asked for the twentieth time that morning.

"No," Drew said. "Angela said she never heard her come in last night; and no one's seen her this morning."

"Don't worry about her Ced," Ryan said, patting him on the back. "Wherever she is, she wants you to focus on this task, not her."

"You're right," Cedric said as they reached the edge of the lake where the champions would enter. However, he could not help but to continue to worry about her. Had she had another vision? Was she in the hospital wing?

He waved good-bye to his friends and stood in line with the other champions. Fleur and Krum looked almost calm, but Harry looked very agitated. He actually looked a little green. Harry saw him and nodded in a gesture of good luck. Cedric returned the gesture.

Cedric could hear Bagman giving the recap, but only vaguely registered what he was saying. All to soon the whistle was blown, signaling the start of the task. Cedric waded into the icy water. He stopped when he was about waist deep in, said the Bubblehead charm, and dove in.

He body screamed in protest as he swam in the freezing water. He could not remember ever being this cold during a quidditch game. He swam through the murky water to what he assumed was the center of the lake. He was careful to look around every few yards for the other champions or magical creatures. About thirty minutes in, Krum shot by him, scaring up a herd of grindylows.

Cedric saw Krum get pulled down by three grindylows as a number of them pulled him down into the kelp. He tried to pull out of their grip, but found that was impossible. Taking a chance, he shot a Stunning spell at the one holding on to his right ankle. While he was able to say the spell clearly, only sparks shot at them. Apparently it was enough, however, as it and two others let go. Quickly, he shot the spell at the others and swam out of the kelp. He swam faster, making up for lost time, and was careful to keep several feet between him and the kelp bed.

After five more minutes, he came across a small under water town. In the center of which was a large statue of a merperson with three people tied to it and two hovering next to it. As Cedric neared, he saw the merpeople lurking in the shadows and from in their houses. He saw Harry looking frantic with an unconscious Weasley floating next to him. Then he saw Mel tied to the statue. He sped up and used a spell to cut the ropes. After making sure he had a good grip on her, he nodded at Harry and pointed to his watch, showing him they only had ten minutes left. He stayed long enough to see Harry nod in acknowledgement.

Cedric swam straight up for the surface. It seemed to take almost no time at all to reach it. He broke the surface and removed the Bubblehead charm. He heard Mel coughing and shifted to make sure she was above the water.

"It's freezing," she said, her teeth chattering.

"Hello to you too," he said, rolling his eyes. "Can you swim?"

"Y-yes."

He let her go and they swam for the shore. She was swimming fine, but he could not stop himself from helping her every now and then. He caught her as she stumbled up onto the shore. He could the crowd cheering for him, but was more concerned with getting Mel warm and dry. Cedric led them over to Madam Pomfrey, who had blankets and cups of something waiting for them. As she fussed over them, he noticed a scared looking Fleur standing a few feet away. She had some angry looking cuts on her face, but was determinedly staring at the lake.

"Drink these," Pomfrey said, handing them the cups. Cedric recognized the liquid as a warming potion. He drank his quickly, though, he noticed, not as fast as Mel drank hers.

"Cold?" he smirked.

"And wet," she said. "Were you the first back?"

"The first back with 'the thing I would sorely miss,' at least," he said, kissing her forehead. "Harry was there before me. I'm not really sure what he was doing, but he didn't follow me back up here."

"Do you think he misinterpreted the clue?"

"No idea," Cedric shrugged. He wrapped his arms around her, hoping to warm her up a bit as he was still concerned that she was too cold.

Krum emerged with the girl he was with and the Yule Ball a few minutes later. He noticed the girl was tomato red as she and Krum walked onto the shore. Harry did not appear for another fifteen minutes. He and one of the Weasley's were helping the young, platinum haired girl get to the shore. Fleur pulled herself out of her Headmistress' grip and ran to meet them. She was quickly followed by Percy Weasley, who was sitting in for Mr. Couch as one of the judges.

"Can you imagine what growing up with him was like?" Cedric muttered, as he watched Percy fuss over his younger brother. Cedric had had to work with the former Head Boy during his fifth year: Percy had made them write reports about rounds and keep organized files on the repeat offenders. The work had been so tedious, Cedric had considered quitting being a prefect.

"Well, considering you also would have grown up with Fred and George, I imagine it was quite chaotic."

One of the merpeople surfaced and began talking to Dumbledore. After a ten-minute conversation with the merperson, Dumbledore went to converse with the other judges.

"What's going on?"

Mel shrugged and let go of him, as their friends surrounded them. Drew and Ryan congratulated him, while the girls hugged Mel.

"See, told you she'd turn up," Ryan said. "And no, I didn't know this is what they wanted her for. What's taking so long?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

Finally, Dumbledore came to the edge of the lake an announced the scores. Cedric had won for coming back within the allotted time and with his hostage. He was followed by Krum and Fleur. Apparently, Fleur had been attacked by the grindylows and forced to drop out of the task. While Harry had arrived well outside the time limit, the judges had awarded him extra points for 'outstanding moral fiber." He and Harry were tied for first.

His friends' faces darkened at the announcement, but Cedric did not care. There was a lot more at stake than winning this game. Besides, Hogwarts was in the lead. They trudged back up to the castle, where warmth, dry clothes, and food awaited them.

"You did good today," Mel said, kissing his cheek.

"Thanks, love," Cedric smiled.

XXX

Mel carefully poured the second of two potions into its vial. After two months, all her potions were finally finished. The potion that would expand her powers had taken longer to brew than expected, but it was done along with the Draught of Living Death, which she had brewed as a safety precaution. She finished pouring the Draught into its vial, sealed it, and magically cleaned and packed all her potions' equipment and ingredients.

She placed an unbreakable charm on the vials and placed them inside her bag. For the first time, she felt as if she had some control over the situation. The last task was only a month away; and, as of late, she had been more nervous and on edge than ever before. It was so bad Angela and Lindsey had taken to avoiding her. Cedric was as nervous as she was, but was handling it better—at the least, he was not snapping at his friends.

Mel paused outside an empty classroom, which Harry and his friends were using to practice spells for the last task. Cedric had been doing the same, though he had been refusing to let his friends help him. When Mel had asked him what he thought about Harry getting help, he had said Harry needed the help as he was two to three years behind in magical training and had more than a maze to get through. Mel had a feeling Cedric would have been helping Harry if he could do so without suspicion. Mel sighed, moved away from the classroom, and continued to the Hufflepuff common room.

Even though classes were over for the day, the common room was practically empty. The weather was warm enough to enjoy the grounds; she figured most of the students were doing just that. She walked over to sit by Cedric, who was making yet another list of spells to try.

"Hey," she said, kissing him on the cheek as she sat down. "They're done."

"Correctly?" he asked in what was supposed to be a joking manner. However, she saw through it.

"Of course," she said defensively. "So, I'll drink the power expanding potion, and you'll have the Living Death one in case that one doesn't work. If you have to use the latter, I have the Wiggenweld Potion—the antidote for Living Death—brewed and ready."

"It all just hinges on Harry being able to bring me back," he sighed.

"He will," she said confidently. "I promise this going to work. Just as long as—"

"We follow the plan exactly. I know," he said, putting the book down and running his hands through his hair. "I trust you, but that won't stop me from worrying."

"Same here," she sighed, offering a week smile. He chuckled and rubbed his eyes with his hands.

"Tell you what," he said, giving an exasperated sigh. "Go put your things away and change. We're going to fly for a bit."

"Is this an attempt to distract us from our worries?" Mel asked, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, but we do need to relax. If flying doesn't work, there are other things we can try," he said suggestively.

Mel laughed and shook her head at him. "I don't think I'm _that_ stressed out."

"But I am, and I could die. You shouldn't deny me such simple pleasures," he pouted.

"You're really gonna try and use that one, huh?"

"Boy has to try," he said innocently.

"Mmhmm," she said, standing up. "Go get your broom. I'll meet you here in ten minutes."

"Fine," he said. He paused before they separated at the staircases. In a whisper he said, "Just for the record, you didn't say no."

Mel rolled her eyes at him again and continued up to her dormitory. _Honestly, he can be such a child_, she thought.

**AN: So, I just wanted to say a quick thanks to everyone who has added this story to a favorites and/or alert list. I'm glad you all are enjoying it and want to see where the story's going. I think I'm going to try to finish up GoF in the next chapter, which means chapter 21 will be fairly long. However, that doesn't mean this story is over. I will continue to post Mel's seventh year and subsequent years in this story. This way, all of you wonderful readers will only need to wait for update alerts and not look for another story. :)**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.**

Mel was thanking Merlin she took good notes and had good study habits. The end of year exams were nightmares normally, but the third task was only a few days away and she was having trouble concentrating. Cedric was helping her study and stay focused as best he good, despite her telling him he should be practicing for the task. He said going over the material was just as helpful as looking up new spells. Mel, however, thought it helped to distract him and calm his nerves for a bit.

"History of Magic needs to be one of the first exams," Lindsey said as she and Mel walked to the Great Hall for breakfast. "We're so burnt out by the end of the week, it's impossible to remember all that boring, dry information."

Mel nodded her head in agreement, silently wishing she could rewind time and go back to the beginning of the week. Today was the last day of exams and the day of the third task. Mel had thought of at least a hundred different ways to change the fast-approaching events. She had not had any visions as of late. In fact, she had never seen that Voldemort was coming back tonight. However, she had the visions once the Tournament started, which made her believe his return was tied to the Tournament. As tonight was the last night of the Tournament, it made sense he would come back tonight. How Harry and Cedric got from Hogwarts to a graveyard was still unknown to her. She had a feeling Destiny was blocking it from her due Mel's defiance of the natural order.

Lindsey waved good-bye to her and went to sit by Anthony. Mel walked a little further along the Hufflepuff table to where Cedric, Ryan, and Drew were sitting. Angela was running late that morning.

"Morning," Mel said, sitting down next to Cedric. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm great," Cedric said, smirking slightly.

"Don't be the 'worried girlfriend,' Mel. You're no fun then," Ryan teased. "Besides, he's going to win."

"Been giving him a pep talk, have you?"

"Yes, they have," Cedric said between bites of food. "And I am now convinced that this task will be the easiest of them all, and so I will win."

Mel rolled her eyes. She then took a quick look at the Gryffindor table. She saw Harry picking at his food, and, as before the two previous tasks, he looked very nervous.

"Well, maybe they should just give you the trophy now then," Melissa said, playing along. "No point in embarrassing the other champions."

Ryan struggled to find a retort. Drew and Cedric laughed as he failed. Mel smirked and helped herself to some eggs and toast. She had to eat quickly: her Care of Magical Creatures exam was right after breakfast. She was surprised she was even able to eat. She supposed all the studying and worrying had made her hungry enough to get past the nerves.

"I'm going to head down to class," Mel said, pushing her plate away from her. "See you later, ok?"

"I'll walk you down," Cedric said, standing up. They were halfway to the door when Professor McGonagall stopped them.

"Mr. Diggory, the champions are meeting in the chamber off the Hall. Your families are here," she told him.

"Oh, all right. Thank you, Professor," he said. She nodded and went to tell Harry the same thing. "I guess I will see you later, then."

"Have fun," Mel said, kissing him on the cheek before she left. He watched her leave the hall, and then followed Harry into the chamber where their families were waiting for them.

XXX

"That was horrible," Angela said.

They had just finished their History of Magic exam. In all honesty, the exam itself was not that hard. They only needed to be able to remember facts; there was little to no analysis needed. The worst part about it all was the amount of facts one needed to know. _That_ is what was so horrible.

"But it's done now," Mel said, letting herself feel a small amount relief. "And only one more year of it."

"Oh gee, that's really what want to hear," Angela said, her voice every with sarcasm. "How are you doing by the way?"

The third task was about three hours away. Mel repressed a shudder of fear, and nodded in what she hoped was a convincing manner. Angela patted her back reassuringly and said the password for the Hufflepuff common room. They were changing before heading to dinner. While the days had been pleasant, it was still getting fairly cool at night. Mel slipped on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a light sweater. She grabbed a small messenger bag from her trunk and put three potions in her bag. She had made the third one between exams early in the day. If needed, it would delay the effects of the Living Death potion. She also slipped her wand in the bag.

"Ready?" she asked, turning to face Angela.

"I guess," she half-whined. "I was trying to do something cute with my hair."

"Your hair looks fine. Let's go. Lindsey will need to tell you all about the 'flying' lesson Rickett gave her."

"Oh, you mean the kind of 'flying' lessons Cedric gives you?" Angela teased as they made their way to the Great Hall for dinner.

"Hey, we really do fly and play quidditch," she said defensively. "But I'll admit that's not all we do."

"Oh, I know," she smirked.

"Shut it. You have no room to talk," Mel muttered. Angela laughed and followed Mel into the Hall.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Diggory. How are you today?" Mel asked, sitting next to Ryan and across from Cedric and his parents.

"We're fine, thank you," Mrs. Diggory said giving Mel a kind smile. "We're very excited for this evening's events."

"And proud of our son," Mr. Diggory added, thumping Cedric on his back. Cedric grimaced slightly, causing Mel and Ryan to smirk into their bowls.

"How were exams, you two?" Mrs. Diggory asked.

"Same as always," Ryan said. "Absolutely miserable. I'm sure we all passed though; we usually do."

"If only so you're eligible to play quidditch?" Mrs. Diggory asked knowingly.

"Well, let's hope we have it next year," Mel said. "Otherwise, we'll be treated to another month's worth of how much time you wasted studying and don't even get to play quidditch."

"It's a valid opinion," Ryan said, pretending to be offended. Mrs. Diggory laughed and shook her head at them. Mel caught Cedric's eye and gave a small smile. He returned it. She watched him as he tried to eat: He was paler than normal and a bit fidgety. Watching him made her own nerves resurface.

"Hey mum, dad, can you find your way down? I need to talk to Ryan and Mel before the task," Cedric asked, pushing his plate away from him.

"Sure. Good luck," his mother said, kissing his cheek. His father patted him on the back before he got up. Mel and Ryan followed him out of the Hall. Ryan sent Mel a curious look to which Mel shrugged. She had no idea what he was up to.

"Mel, I need to talk to Ryan alone. Will you go wait for me by the entrance?"

"Sure," she said tentatively, yet going to wait for him nonetheless.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Cedric turned to Ryan. "I need you to promise me something."

"Er, ok," Ryan said, growing more concerned than confused. He had never seen Cedric look so desperate.

"I'm hoping it's just nerves, but I have a really bad feeling about the task," he said, lowering his voice so passersby would not overhear him. "If something happens, I need you to promise you'll look after my parents and Mel, mainly Mel. She doesn't have anyone to take care of her, and sometimes that's all she needs. Well, you know how she is."

"Ced, what's going on? It's a _game_, not a battle!"

"Just promise you'll look out for her and make sure she's ok, if something happens," Cedric pressed.

Ryan sighed. He could tell Cedric was not going to explain any further, and that he was serious. "All right, _if_ something happens to you, I'll do my best to look after her. I swear."

"Thank you," Cedric said, letting a small sigh of relief escape him. "I need to go talk to Mel."

"Sure. Good luck," Ryan said, still looking at his friend warily. Cedric nodded his thanks and went to meet Mel, while Ryan went back inside the Hall.

Mel was waiting by the entrance doors, shifting nervously from foot to foot. She finally saw Cedric calmly walking toward her. His manner made her even more nervous. He did not say anything when he reached her, just motioned for her to follow him outside.

"Cedric, you're really starting to scare me," she said, slowly walking behind him. He gave a humorless laugh and stopped walking.

"I think we're all a bit scared right now," he muttered. Mel sighed and fumbled with her bag. She handed him the Living Death potion and the delay potion.

"You'll want to take the light blue one now. Its effects will last for four hours. It will delay the onset of the Draught by one minute. It's another precaution," she explained, her voice shook as she spoke. He unstopped the vial and drank the blue potion. When he was finished, he handed her back the stopper and vial. She slid them back into her bag.

"What about yours?" he asked.

"I'll take it when you enter the maze. Its effects have a short lifespan," she said, rubbing her sweaty palms on her jeans. Her heart was pounding and she could feel a lump in her throat. Cedric wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"Hey," he whispered. "You promised you wouldn't do this, remember?"

Mel nodded, her head buried in his chest. She remembered their talk in the hospital wing: it felt like lifetimes had passed since then.

"I know, I'm sorry," she said, pulling away and wiping her eyes. She took a deep breath, hoping it would somehow calm her. It did not, but her voice was a bit steadier. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said before kissing her. It was urgent and raw and Mel could hardly breathe, but she dreaded the moment he would pull away.

"I'm coming back, alive, I promise," he said, breaking away from her and looking her in the eyes. The lump in her throat had returned; she could only nod.

They walked to the quidditch pitch in silence. Cedric wrapped an arm around Mel's waist and she did the same to him. He kept looking at her, trying to memorize every detail of her. He had every intention of coming back, but, if something went wrong, he wanted to be able to clearly see her in his mind. Mel paused when they reached the edge of the stadium.

"What is it?"

"I need you to be selfish," she said. "Don't worry about Harry. He'll get back fine. I want you to make sure you come back."

Not waiting for a response, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. She pulled away, whispered 'I love you,' and ran off into the crowd with only one look back. He felt her absence and wished she could have stayed until he entered the maze. But he understood she could not have kept it together in front of the school or have let him enter if she had stayed that long. After a minute of standing frozen in place, he gathered up what little courage he had left and walked over to join the other champions.

The other champions were more relaxed than Cedric had seen them before the start of a task. They thought this maze was nothing: Get past a few obstacles and to the cup first, then it's all done. They did not even suspect how drastically things were going to change by the end of the night.

Dumbledore instructed them to shoot up red sparks if they needed help in the maze, warning that they would forfeit the tournament if they did. He then turned to address the crowd. Yet again, Cedric found himself unable to really hear those around him.

_Focus on the maze. Don't worry about anything else_, he thought to himself. _It's just another game._

The whistle blew, signaling for him and Harry to enter the maze. Silently, they followed each other into the dark maze, each lighting their wand as they did. They walked together for about fifty feet when they reached the first split in the path. Cedric went right, and Harry went left. Cedric considered telling Harry what was going to happen, but when he turned around Harry was already gone.

Cedric's path was eerily empty. He had not encountered anything by the time Fleur entered the maze. He walked slowly and as quietly as possible, thinking it would either allow him to hear something before he saw it, or at least keep him from walking recklessly in front of whatever was in the maze with him.

Every so often, he would pause and look behind him. Cedric could swear he heard something behind him. He never saw anything when he looked though. He walked another twenty feet before stopping and looking behind him. This time, he used his wand to look. The light fell on a hairy, grey, large-headed being. Startled by the light, it ran at Cedric. Cedric suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of despair. Thinking there was no point in fighting this thing, he almost dropped his wand. But, at the last minute, he shook himself out of the fog.

"_Stupefy!_"

The large-head thing froze mid-run. Cedric stared at it a minute, wondering what it was. He was pretty sure he had never seen it in a textbook before. He shrugged and continued walking. While it was pretty easy to defend against, he did not want to risk it following him again. The feeling of despair it projected would make him an easy target for whatever else was in the maze.

Cedric began running into dead ends. The Point Me spell would only get him so far and then he would hit another one. He ran into five before finding a clear path. Though what he soon ran into made him wish he had not. In front of him stood a ten-foot long Blast-Ended Skrewt. It was not tall enough that he could walk under it without being spotted, and it was too big to walk around it. He tried shooting a stunning spell at it, but it was pointless. The spell rebounded off its armor-like shell, and now it was paying attention to him. He ducked as it swung at him with its giant claw. He shot several more stunning spells, but they all rebounded. Giving up, he blasted a hole into the hedge on his left and pushed his way through it. He ran into Harry on the other side.

"Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewt," he explained, shaking some leaves and twigs out of his hair. "They're massive."

Harry nodded, and they parted ways, each taking a path that went in the opposite direction from the skrewt. Cedric walked for several more minutes without meeting anything. Then he heard a gut-wrenching scream. It was Fleur. He paused and tried to figure out from which direction the scream came. He waited to see if he heard her again, but the maze was silent. He gritted his teeth and continued. She was probably fine, just startled by something she had stumbled upon.

He had only gone about thirty more feet when he was attacked from behind. At first, he was just thrown off his feet. He twisted on the ground and saw Krum standing over him. Cedric had barely a moment to register that Krum's eyes were blank and fogged over.

"_Crucio!_" Krum said, his voice a whisper.

Cedric's body contorted in pain. It felt like he was being burned and stabbed by thousands of knives all at once. Cedric had never felt pain like this before. He could not hear anything, but he was sure he was screaming. He did not care. He just wanted the pain to stop.

Then it did.

Panting, Cedric sat up slowly. Krum lay stunned on the ground by Cedric. He kicked Krum's wand away from him, then looked up. Harry stood a few feet away, his wand half-raised.

"You all right?" he asked.

"Yeah," Cedric said, pushing himself off the ground.

"He was imperiused," Harry said, more to himself than to Cedric. "You think he attacked Fleur?"

Cedric shrugged. "I suppose it's possible. Come on, let's find the cup and get out of here."

Harry nodded, and for the third time that night, they split up. Cedric was wondering if he should have just stayed with Harry. It was a Hogwarts victory either way now.

Cedric ran into a pod of doxies, which were easy enough to fend off, and an occamy, which was a bit more difficult. Stunning it was ineffective. He tried the body-binding spell. It did not stop it entirely; more of made the occamy move in slow motion. But it was enough for Cedric to maneuver around it and continue on the path. He rounded the corner, and there was the cup.

The path was clear. He could get to the cup and this would all be over. He and Harry could be done with this tournament. Maybe they could avoid the horrors Mel had seen. He sprinted toward the cup. He was so close, and then he heard someone call out his name.

"Cedric! Look to your right!"

Without thinking about it, Cedric looked. He was running straight for a twenty-foot tall giant spider. At the last minute, he threw himself to the ground and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding once of its pincers. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of red and the spider turn toward Harry. Harry shot another stunner at it, but it was useless. Cedric watched as the spider picked Harry up as he continued to shoot spells at it. Cedric grabbed his wand and ran over to help Harry. After several tries, their stunning spells hit the spider on its underside, effectively stopping it. Its legs crumpled beneath it as it fell to the ground. Careful not to trip over its giant limbs, Cedric made his way over to Harry.

"Harry, you all right?" Cedric called.

"Yeah. My leg's broken though."

Cedric skirted around the last leg and found Harry leaning against the hedge. His left pant leg was torn and he was bleeding. Cedric noticed the leg itself was at an odd angle.

"Can you just go get the cup, so we can get out of here?" Harry asked. Like Cedric, he was exhausted and done with this 'game.'

"Nope," Cedric said. He bent over and helped Harry get to his feet. "We'll do it together. It's still a Hogwarts win, right?"

"Right," Harry grinned. They slowly walked over to the cup, Harry practically hopping on his one good leg.

"On three," Cedric said when they stood in front of it. Harry nodded in agreement.

"One…two…three."

They each grabbed a handle, and then were pulled off the ground and into nothingness.

**AN: Ok, I owe you a couple apologies. 1) Sorry for taking two weeks to update. 2) Sorry for the cliffhanger, but this chapter was already very long and I felt I needed to post something. I will try to get chapter 22 done asap; and I may just go ahead and post it when I finish instead of waiting until next Friday (unless that's when I finish).**

**Warning: Updates will continue, but may become less timely. In the next couple weeks I have a lot of company visiting and going back to school. I will finish this story, just please be patient if I don't update every week.**

**Thank you to everyone reading and reviewing! I really appreciate it :).**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

**AN: Sorry for the delay! I hope the length makes up for it. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.**

The boys fell knees first onto the ground. The cup landed a few feet from them. Cedric grabbed his wand and stood up, shaking the dirt off his clothes as he did. They were in a graveyard. Careful that Harry was not looking at him, he quickly drank the Draught. He trusted Mel. He had felt her check on him periodically throughout the night. However, he, very selfishly, wanted to go back to her.

"The cup was a portkey," he said, more to himself than to Harry. Harry stood up, looking extremely pale.

"You don't happen to think this was part of the task do you?" he asked.

Cedric shook his head. "Wands out, you reckon?"

Harry nodded, looking a little relieved. The graveyard they were in was very old and in ruin. He doubted anyone ever came to this part. The grass and weeds were tall, some almost a foot high. Some of the headstones were cracked and eroding away. He was starting to feel very nervous.

"Hey Harry," he called over his shoulder, "maybe we should go bag to the cup?"

"Sure," came Harry's voice. He was behind a rather tall headstone and Cedric could not see him, but he could hear the nervousness in Harry's voice. When he came into view, he was even paler than he had been before.

"What is it?" he asked, but Harry only shook his head. Cedric made to walk to the cup, but rustling behind him made him turn around. A hunched figure was coming toward them. Cedric tried to raise his wand higher, but his limbs were strangely heavy. He felt Mel reach into his mind as the potion took effect. At the same time, he could hear Harry groaning in pain and telling him to get back to the cup. But Cedric could not move, he felt his legs give out from under him, just as a green light came at him.

Cedric lay on the ground, unable to move. The curse had just missed him, but he knew he looked dead to those around him. Something was wrong though. He could feel Mel in his head, but it was not the same smooth entrance. It was like when she had first started entering people's minds: jerky, like she could not get through. It was like that for a few more minutes, during which Cedric was aware of Harry being tied to a tombstone and the man who had shot at muttering an incantation as he dumped things in a cauldron.

Then she was gone. Cedric tried to move, but could not. He remembered you were not supposed to be conscious after taking the Draught, so something was definitely wrong. What had gone wrong and how bad it was, Cedric was not sure. All he knew is that he would have to lay frozen in place and watch the horrors that had haunted Mel for the last year.

XXX

Mel fell out of her seat. They were there, in the graveyard with Voldemort about to come back, and she could not see anything.

"Mel! Are you all right?" Mrs. Diggory asked as Mel pushed herself up.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"You're nose is bleeding."

Mel touched her fingers to her face and felt the blood. Normally, she would only get a headache or a bit of dizziness after entering someone's mind and that was after hours of practicing. She had never had a nosebleed before. Mrs. Diggory handed her a handkerchief.

"Thank you," Mel said. "I'll be right back, going to go clean up."

She maneuvered her way through the crowd, dabbing her nose as she walked. She needed to find Dumbledore. Maybe he could do something to help them.

"Mel!" someone called after her. She paused and looked behind her to see Ryan following her down the stadium seats.

"Where are you going?" he asked when he caught up with her.

"The bathroom to clean up," she said, continuing down the stairs. She suppressed a grimace when he continued to follow her.

"Is something going on? You and Ced have been acting a bit odd today."

"No, everything's fine," she said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Oh, then why have you ignored the last two women's bathrooms? Got a favorite one or something? And why is Cedric asking me to look out for you if something happens to you?" Ryan demanded.

Mel cursed under her breath. Damn Cedric for being so overprotective! "I forget," she said through gritted teeth, "how observant and smart you can be. You do spend an awful lot of time acting dumb."

"So something is going on?" he pushed.

"Yes," she admitted begrudgingly. "But I can't tell you what, and right now I really need to talk to Dumbledore."

Ryan frowned, muttered 'fine,' and continued walking with her. They half-jogged to the teachers' section, which was on the other side of the pitch. Mel was not sure what she thought Dumbledore could do; she was just hoping that he could do something.

XXX

There was a crowd around the newly reincarnated Dark Lord. Cedric could not really see their faces from where he was, but he could see Harry fighting his bonds. A few broke away from the group and walked over to him. When they were only a few feet away he saw they were Voldemort, Karkaroff, and Sean. Sean poked Cedric's side with his foot, but Cedric was more focused on the snake-like face and glowing red eyes of Voldemort to care.

"He's really dead," Sean muttered. "Well, maybe now she'll do her job and we can go back home. 'Can't say I'm sad to see this waste of flesh dead."

"After tonight, you should both return to wherever it is you come from," Voldemort hissed. "If, after all, her only purpose is to help Harry. When I kill him, she will have failed, and neither of you will have a purpose in this world."

"Sounds good to me," Sean said. "Shall we?"

They turned to Karkaroff, who was pale and shaking violently. Sean raised his wand, and then all three were illuminated by the green light of the killing curse. Cedric heard the thud Karkaroff's body made when it hit the ground. He cringed inwardly. He watched as Harry was dragged to the center of the Death Eaters. He watched as Voldemort forced Harry to duel. Cedric wished he could close his eyes. He really did not want to witness Mel's brother die. Then something odd happened. Spells from both their wands met and formed a bright circle around them, which emitted some kind of bird some. Cedric could see a bright ball of light between them. As it neared Voldemort, Cedric saw clouds of smoke emit from his wand and circle the two.

Suddenly, Harry broke the connection and the clouds surged toward Voldemort. Harry ran as fast as he could toward Harry, which was rather fast considering one of his legs was broken. As he reached Cedric, Harry summoned the cup to him; and they left the graveyard.

If Cedric had not been petrified, the wind would have been knocked out of him when he hit the ground. He heard Harry's ragged breathing beside him and feet running toward them.

"He's dead," Harry said. It sounded like he was crying.

"No, he's alive." It was Mel. He could feel her holding a hand over his mouth. She was checking to make sure he was still breathing, since his pulse would be undetectable because of the potion.

"W-what?" Harry asked.

"I don't have time to explain right now, Harry," she said, her voice was rushed. Cedric could feel vibrations as more people walked toward them. He even heard screams: People thought he was dead. "I promise I'll tell you everything later; just trust me when I say he's alive."

"They talked about you," Harry mumbled.

"What?" Mel asked surprised.

"They said you were to help me…"

Mel made a sound as if to say something, but the footsteps were getting closer. "Later, I promise."

"Professor, they're both alive. They need to go to the hospital wing," Mel said quickly.

"He's back! Voldemort's back!" Harry said as soon as he saw Dumbledore.

"Harry needs to stay with me for now. Melissa please escort Cedric to the Hospital Wing, his parents will be directed there," Dumbledore said calmly. A stretcher appeared before them and Cedric's body was levitated on to it. Mel did as she was told, only looking behind her once to give Harry a concerned look. She lost him in the crowd that was starting to press in on them.

She walked as quickly as she could to the Hospital Wing. She wanted to beat his parents there so she did not have to explain why he needed the antidote for the Draught of Living Death.

She was out of breath when she arrived.

"He needs—an antidote for—Living Death," she wheezed as Madam Pomfrey levitated his body to a bed.

"Are you sure? How do you know?" she asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"I'm positive, and so is Dumbledore," she snapped.

"_Professor_," Pomfrey corrected sternly. Mel did not even pay attention. She just wanted Cedric to wake up now.

She sat on the edge of the bed next to him, and held his hand. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I don't know what happened. Maybe the Draught and my powers clashed somehow? I don't know. I saw everything though, every detail. I think I saw both yours and Harry's perspectives. I'm so sorry. I should have researched more…and found a way to keep you from seeing that…. You weren't supposed to see that."

Her words were rushed, and the last bit was almost too quiet for him to hear. He wished Pomfrey would hurry with the antidote. He wanted to tell her it was not her fault. He needed to warn her that Voldemort did know about her, but most importantly he wanted to hold her. Nothing felt real to him right now. He was still at that point where it could all have been a horrible dream. If he could hold her, he would know what was real. He needed to know what was real.

Madam Pomfrey finally returned with the antidote. Cedric was vaguely aware of the potion sliding down his throat. Slowly he felt the feeling return to his body. After about ten minutes he was able to move. He tried to push himself into a sitting position, but could only get about halfway up so he settled for leaning against the bed rails.

"Mel." His voice was hoarse and barely above a whisper, but, even though she was listening to the shouting in the hall, she heard him. She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest. He hugged her back with one arm, using the other to support them.

"I'm sorry. I love you," she mumbled into his chest.

"You're sorry you love me?" he teased. His voice was still hoarse, but a little louder. She shook her head and released him, for which he was grateful because he could not support them any longer. He sunk back into the mattress as she wiped her eyes.

"You know what I meant."

"Yes. I love you too."

She smiled. The doors opened behind her. His parents, followed by Ryan, ran into the room. Mel stood up and walked to the end of his bed to make room for his parents. He appreciated the gesture, but he did not want her to be that far away from him. He could not explain it. The distance just made him nervous.

"Oh, thank Merlin!" his mother said, pulling him into a suffocating hug. His father stood behind his mother. He was as pale as the walls behind him and trying to gain control of his breathing. However, when his mother finally let go of him, he was then enveloped by his father.

"Are you all right? What happened?" his father asked.

"I'm…alive," Cedric said. "Um, Harry and I reached the cup at the same time. So, we decided to take it together, but it was a portkey. It took us to this graveyard. One of the things in the maze bit me when some petrifying potion, and it took affect then. But I, uh, watched You-Know-Who come back and duel Harry. And, somehow, Harry was able to escape and bring us back here."

He skipped a lot of details. He was not ready to go into them right now. What was important was keeping Mel's secret and backing up Harry's story about Voldemort's return.

"Cedric, are you…are you sure that's what you saw?" Amos asked, while his wife stared at their son in horror. Cedric looked beyond them. Ryan was paler and more scared than he had ever seen him. Mel's face was a grim look of acceptance.

"I'm sure," Cedric said firmly.

"Ced wouldn't joke about this kind of thing," Ryan said, backing up his friend without question. His parents nodded in agreement. They sat in silence for a minute, and then Ryan cleared his throat.

"Mel, Dumbledore asked that you meet McGonagall outside his office," Ryan said.

Mel nodded and folded her arms across her stomach, as if she was trying to keep herself together. "I'll be back."

Cedric wanted her stay. Surely whatever Dumbledore wanted to talk about could wait. Apparently, some of his distress showed in his face because Ryan said he would go with her, and his mother went to Madam Pomfrey for a calming potion. They had to force him to take it. He knew it would make him sleep, calming potions always did. He did not want to sleep. He just wanted to talk to her.

Mel and Ryan walked through the deserted corridors. Ryan had his arm wrapped around her because she was shaking violently, trying to hold it together. He refrained from asking her to explain anything. He could wait until things had calmed down. They had barely been outside the headmaster's office two minutes when McGonagall appeared, followed by a large black dog. She dismissed Ryan and led the two into Dumbledore's office. Once they were alone, Sirius transformed; and that's when Mel could not hold it together any more.

She sunk to the ground, sobbing. Her whole body shook. Sirius rushed to comfort her, but quickly realized he could not. He would just have to wait for her to calm herself down.

"It's all right," he said soothingly.

"No, it's not!" she yelled, tearing herself away from him. "None of it should have happened! I should have been allowed to see where Voldemort was, or how they would be transported to the graveyard, at least! Then we could have stopped him from returning, and stopped them from going through that!"

She stood facing away from him, trying to discreetly dry her face. Not that it really mattered, it was evident in her voice that she was still crying: Her nose was clogged and her voice kept breaking.

The door opened before Sirius could say anything else. Mel tried to dry her eyes as Dumbledore and Harry walked in. Sirius rushed forward and began fussing over Harry. Dumbledore sat behind his desk, and motioned for them all to take a seat. Harry and Sirius complied, but Mel only took a few steps forward.

"Melissa, please take a seat. Could I offer you some tea?" Dumbledore asked. Mel shook her head no, and stiffly sat down.

"Professor, why is she here?" Harry asked.

"Now is not the time to get into all of that," Dumbledore started. "But, in short, Melissa was summoned into existence by your parents, Sirius, and Remus Lupin. They believed the spell would help them find a way to destroy Voldemort. In a way, it has. Melissa can see the future, and is connected to you. I believe that between her connection to you and yours to Voldemort's, she will be able to find his weakness."

Dumbledore paused to let the information sink in. Harry cast her a curious glance before turning back to Dumbledore. It looked like he was about to ask several questions, but Dumbledore stopped him.

"You can ask us anything about Melissa later. Right now, I need you to tell everything that happened after you left the maze."

Harry nodded and spent the next thirty minutes telling them, in great detail, of everything that had happened in the graveyard. Having already seen it through Harry and Cedric's perspectives, Mel tried to tune it out. When he had finished, Dumbledore escorted them back to the Hospital Wing with Sirius in his dog form.

"Did you know what was going to happen tonight?" Harry asked her as they walked to Hospital.

"The end result, but not all the details," she answered, watching his reaction. He did not seem freaked out, only curious.

"Why not?"

"I was being punished," she said quietly. Both Sirius and Harry looked at her when she said it. If Dumbledore heard, he pretended not to. "I ignored Destiny and saved someone who was supposed to die."

"Was that Cedric?"

Mel nodded and waited for the judgment or anger. Surely he must be upset that she chose to save Cedric over stopping Voldemort. However, she doubted she could have stopped his return. She knew it was part of Destiny's plan for Harry.

"I can live that," Harry said after a moment. "I've always felt he was going to come back. At least, I didn't have to watch Cedric die."

Mel smiled and Harry did not say any more. They entered the Hospital Wing to see the Diggorys, some of the Weasleys, and Hermione Granger waiting for them. Cedric was still awake. His mother sat at his side, looking extremely tired and exasperated. Harry went to change into a pair of pajamas behind a curtain as Mel walked over to Cedric, whose bed was next to Harry's.

"How are you, both of you?" she asked, sitting on a chair next to Cedric. Cedric reached out and took one of her hands and squeezed it.

"Tired," Mrs. Diggory said. "My son is refusing to take any form of potion that might make him drowsy."

"Dad went to meet the minister and Professor Dumbledore. I think he went to help explain how You-Know-Who is back," Cedric said stubbornly. "I just want to see what's going to happen."

"Yes, and he wanted to be awake when you came, I think," his mother added, smiling slightly. Mel and Cedric both blushed. "But now that she is here, I think you can take the potion. Who knows how long your father will be."

Cedric muttered something and begrudgingly drank the dreamless sleep potion. He fell asleep quickly, for which Mel was glad. He needed to rest after everything he had been through. She glanced over at Harry, who was also sleeping peacefully. Sirius wagged his tail and nudged her leg with his head. She supposed it was a comforting gesture. She reached down and absently scratched his head for a minute.

"Melissa, I wanted to say thank you," Mrs. Diggory said quietly.

"For what?" Mel asked, sitting up straight. Mrs. Diggory gave her a knowing look before explaining.

"You're special," she said. "You're magic is different. It's a different kind of energy. I know it's something you shouldn't talk about, so I won't ask for details. I also know that it somehow allowed you to save my son tonight. So, thank you."

Mel could only nod, too shocked to speak. She finally asked, "How could you tell?"

"I work in a Hospital. I've seen, experienced, and felt all kinds of magic. But yours is different, almost purer," she shrugged. She stood up and said, "Watch over him for me. I think Molly needs someone to talk to."

XXX

Harry woke up to shouting. He sat up quietly and slipped on his glasses. Professor McGonagall, Fudge, and Amos Diggory stood in the middle of the Hospital Wing. They were shouting about Barty Couch Jr., who had apparently experienced the Dementor's Kiss. Madam Pomfrey and Mrs. Diggory stood off to the side, frowning. Harry glanced at the bed next to him. Sirius, still in dog form, was standing in front of Mel. His hackles were raised and he was growling. Mel was now sitting on Cedric's bed; Cedric had his arm wrapped around her waist. Harry realized they were restraining her from joining the argument. Dumbledore and Snape entered unnoticed by anyone.

"What are you saying, Minister? That my son's a liar or crazy?" Mr. Diggory shouted.

Fudge made to answer, but was stopped by Dumbledore. "Amos, please do not yell. We have several patients who need their rest, your son included. If you would all follow me, we can continue this conversation in my office."

"No, we will finish this here, Dumbledore," Fudge said, sounding like a child throwing a tantrum. "Now, what do you have to say about this _report_ of You-Know-Who's return?"

"Minister, you have interrogated Barty Crouch Jr., who is under the influence of Veritaserum, and Mr. Diggory. What more do you need?" Dumbledore said calmly.

"He never spoke to Crouch, Headmaster," McGonagall said bitterly. "The dementor the Minister brought for his protection made that quite impossible."

"I had every right! That man was a raving lunatic! From your reports he was responsible for several murders."

"So, you'll believe he killed at least three people, but not that he helped Voldemort return?" McGonagall questioned.

"Because he can't be! He just can't be back…" Fudge said, almost pleadingly.

"Voldemort has returned. If we act quickly, we may be able to stop him before he reaches the level of power he had thirteen years ago," Dumbledore said.

Fudge shook his head in stubborn disbelief. He dropped the bag of ten thousand galleons on the table between Harry and Cedric's beds, and left. As soon as the door was closed, Dumbledore asked Sirius to transform into his human self. Cedric's parents and Mrs. Weasley all gasped in fear at his appearance. Dumbledore asked him to alert Lupin and other members of the Order. Sirius hugged Harry and Mel good-bye, transformed, and left. He was shortly followed by Snape.

"Now," Dumbledore said, turning to the rest of them. "Amos and Susan, I can make arrangements for you to stay in the castle while Cedric recovers. If you feel up to it however, I would appreciate your help in seeking out those who are willing to believe us."

"We would like to stay the night, but can leave in the morning," Mrs. Diggory answered.

"Thank you. Molly—"

"No need to ask, Arthur and I will help you," she said. "I'll return home this evening."

"Thank you," Dumbledore repeated. Harry noticed he sounded how exhausted he sounded. "I think Cedric and Harry need to rest now. Professor McGonagall, if you would be so kind as to escort Mr. and Mrs. Diggory to their quarters."

Harry watched as they hugged their son goodnight. Mrs. Weasley stood up and handed Harry the rest of his sleeping potion. Then she and Bill followed the Diggorys and McGonagall out of the room.

"Miss Granger, Miss Evans, and Mr. Weasley, I think it time for you to return to your dormitories. I ask that you not speak of what has been said this evening."

They all nodded and got up to leave. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cedric lightly kiss Melissa on the cheek as she hugged him good night. For some reason, it made him uncomfortable; so he looked away quickly.

"Don't forget to take your potions," Dumbledore said.

"So," Cedric said. "What do you want to do with the money? You can have it."

"I don't want it," Harry said, downing his potion. "Let's give it to Fred and George. Then they can open that joke shop."

Cedric choked on his potion as he laughed. "That's a great idea."

XXX

"Melissa!"

Mel groaned. She had been avoiding people for three days. At this point, she had hoped they would figure out she was not going to tell them anything beyond that Cedric was alive. She could not wait for that evening's feast to be over so that she could get away from everyone tomorrow. Well, she was not going home. Dumbledore had contacted Victoria. Mel was going to stay with her while Dumbledore figured out how much danger she was in from Sean and Voldemort. Mel thought it was a bad idea, but Dumbledore had promised Victoria and her family would be well protected by magical charms.

"What?!" Mel snapped. She turned around to see Harry running after her. "Sorry, I thought you were, well…"

"I know," he said, stopping in front of her. "'Been going through the same thing. I was wondering if I could talk to you."

"Um, sure. Mind taking a walk?"

"No," he said. Mel led the way down the lake's edge, where they could talk without being overheard.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Mel asked.

"Well, Sirius sent me a novel of a letter and Dumbledore has answered most of my questions. I just wanted to talk to you. From what they've said, you're the closest thing I have to a sibling. I would like to get to know you," he said a bit sheepishly.

"Yes, I suppose I am," she said, smiling slightly.

"So, where did you grow up?"

"Well, I lived in an orphanage until I was fourteen. Since then I've stayed with friends on holidays, mostly Cedric and his family."

"Sirius said that the other power-person hurt you, and that's why you left. He was there, that night, but I guess you know that."

"Yes," Mel said, a hint of bitterness in her voice. "He's Pain, an associate of Death."

"Oh," Harry said.

"I am sorry that I didn't tell you about my vision or me," Mel said.

"I probably wouldn't have believed you," Harry shrugged. "But I will now, so feel free to tell me of any visions."

"Promise," she smiled.

"I wish they had placed you with me at the Dursleys'," he said wistfully, nudging a few pebbles into the lake. "It would've been nice not to have grown up alone."

"I know. They had their reasons though."

"I've heard them. They don't make sense to me," Harry said, an edge to his voice. Mel did not know what to tell him. She had never understood why they had been kept apart. "Have you ever seen a picture of our mum?"

"No," she said, taken aback by his question. However, she was more surprised by his use of "our" instead of "my."

"I'll have to send you one. You look like her. It's not obvious at first, but I've always seen it. I was always trying to place you, but couldn't."

They stood in silence for a few minutes. Each one thinking as they stared over the lake. Mel wondered why he was accepting everything to readily. Maybe he had been through and lost so much that he just needed to be connected to someone.

"Do you know Cedric's in love with you?" Harry asked suddenly, laughing slightly.

"He's mentioned it a few times. Why?"

"Because he says it in his sleep. A lot."

Mel laughed. "Well, he should. I did save his life after all."

XXX

Mel sat snuggled up to Cedric on the train ride home. They sat with Ryan, Ron, Harry, and Hermione. Mel's other friends were not ready to hear or accept Voldemort was back; and Mel and Cedric were not ready to debate it with them. Dumbledore had told everyone what had happened in the maze and that Voldemort had returned. Needless to say, they were all glad to be escaping the scrutiny for a few months.

Ryan still did not know Mel's secret. Cedric was going to tell him once they got home.

"So Mel," Ryan said, looking up from his game of chess with Ron. "Despite Cedric claiming You-Know-Who has returned, his fan club remains as dedicated as ever. In fact, I think it grew."

"Mine," Mel said, wrapping her arms around Cedric. Cedric hugged her tighter with the arm that was already wrapped around her waist and kissed the top of her head. Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked out the window. Ryan pretended to gag and went back to his game.

"Come help me find Fred and George," Cedric said to her as he stood up.

"Why?" she asked, following him out of the compartment.

"Harry and I decided to give them the money," he explained once they were in the hall. "Neither of us want or need it."

"I'm almost afraid of what they'll do with it. You do realize we have one more year of school and us being prefects," she joked.

"We'll need the distraction," he smiled. He paused and turned to face her.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Promise me you won't do anything heroically dumb this summer," he said, all joking gone from his voice.

"Shouldn't I be saying that to you?" she asked, a hint of playfulness in her voice.

"Maybe before, but after what happened…. You're the most important thing to me. I would not be here without you. My job is to help you and take care of you, but I know you have to help Harry. All I ask is that you remember me before you decide to do something reckless," he said. He looked determined yet lost as he spoke. Mel wrapped her arms around his neck and he rested his forehead against hers.

"I always do," she whispered.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

**AN: I know it's short, but I may not have been able to update tomorrow (may not have wifi). I hope you can forgive me. Please enjoy, and thank you for reading and those wonderful reviews!**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.**

Three weeks in the murderous heat. Even the water from the creek Mel was trying to wash herself with was hot. Mel sighed and gave up. There was no point in washing the muggle way if she could not cool off by doing it. With a wave of her wand, she magically cleaned herself and clothes. She dressed, gathered her things and walked out of the small patch of woods back to the dirt road. She walked beside it, hoping it would take her to a town where she could get some food. It was too hot to go without eating for too long. Mel was thankful she was of age and could do magic outside of school: Her water bottle was never empty, as she had placed a replenishing charm on it.

_Though, I wouldn't be in this mess if Dumbledore had listened to me in the first place,_ she thought.

Mel had gone to Victoria's after school let out. She had been trying to use her powers, as she was still worried about the unknown consequences of her saving Cedric. She was there one week before she had a vision. Unfortunately, she saw Sean leading Death Easters to Victoria's house and killing her and her family and taking Mel. She had the vision only two days before they would arrive at Victoria's.

Well, she could not wait for aid or further instruction from Dumbledore. She had to act quickly to save the innocent people who had only tried to help her. That is why she had the vision after all. Using magic, she helped them pack quickly. She told Victoria and her husband to drive as far as possible, and anywhere Mel and Sean had never been with the orphanage. Dumbledore would contact them when it was safe to return home.

Victoria had begged Mel to go with them, but she refused. Mel felt guilty enough about them having to leave their home, she was afraid to put them in any more danger. In the end, Victoria gave her some muggle money and left with her family, telling Mel to send word she was safe by the next morning. Before Mel left, she sent letters explaining the situation to Cedric, Harry, and Dumbledore. So far, only Cedric's owl had been able to find her. He was furious and had been trying to get her to come to him, or, at least tell him where she was. The latter was difficult as she was apparating to different parts of the country every other day. She could not do the former, not yet. She wanted more than anything to go to him, but some part of her knew she needed to stay away for now. It drove her as crazy as it was driving him.

The only good to have happened in the last three weeks was that she understood the current limitations of her powers. She had to focus on an individual to see their future. While what she could see was more detailed than before, she could only see a few months into the future at best. In addition, she could no longer enter someone's mind to see their future. Mel now had to do it the old-fashioned way: meditation. She hated it. Meditating took more concentration than she often had, especially in this heat.

Mel paused and wiped some sweat off her forehead. The limitations worried her, but she knew they were only temporary. However, Destiny had not been clear on how long temporary was in their last meeting. All the Powers had said was that as long as she changed what needed to be changed, they would give her back her powers. In fact, they said they would give her _all_ of her powers, even the ones she had yet to discover. Mel could not help but be a little excited when she thought of it; and she thought of it a lot. It was a good distraction from the night terrors.

While she may not have been physically present for what happened in the graveyard, she sure felt like she had experienced it all first hand. She saw the images from that night as she slept. She would often wake up in the middle of the night, shaking in fear. Sometimes, her dreams even showed Harry or Cedric or both of them dying. When she would wake, she found herself wishing to be with Cedric. She needed his reassurance, needed to hold him and make sure he was alive. Mel knew he and Harry had nightmares too: They had written to her about them. However, she could not help but to think that being with Cedric would help them both.

Mel shook her head. She could not think about Cedric right now. She needed to find a cool place to eat and maybe sleep. Mel had not meditated in a few days and needed to "check in" on a couple people.

She huffed and sat on the roadside. Clearly, she was miles from anything. Mel decided to try and check in on Harry before apparating somewhere else. She was very worried about him, as she had not heard from him since she left Victoria's. She sat up straight and took deep breaths, trying to empty her mind and focus on Harry. The vision came faster than what she was used to—the Powers must have felt this was very important. When it was over she stood up quickly and looked around to make sure she was alone. It was very important, and she needed to leave right away. With a small _pop_, she vanished from the country roadside.

xxx

Mel apparated into a small alley behind some houses. She realized she should have used the Disillusionment Charm, but on a quick look found she was alone anyway. The sun was setting; Mel needed to find Harry quickly. She retreated into the shadows and said, "Point me."

She walked quickly out of the alleyway and down the street, pausing every so often to check her direction. Apparently, she had apparated several blocks over and Harry was moving, making it difficult for the spell to be accurate. The sun had set now. She only had a matter of minutes. She broke into a run, openly using wand for the point me spell. It did not matter; all the muggles were in their houses hiding from the heat. She rounded a corner and found herself on a cold, dark street. This was the place.

"_Lumos,_" she muttered. She walked quickly, listening for any movement. Finally, she heard some yell and sped up.

"Harry!" she called, pain shooting through her legs and her backpack flopping against her back as she ran. He did not respond, probably did not hear her. She the four of them in her wand light: Harry searching the ground for his wand, a large boy cowering on the ground a few feet away, and two dementors. The vision had not shown who had sent them or why, it had just stressed that Harry not use magic. She lifted her wand and summoned the happiest memory she had.

"_EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_

A silver retriever flew from her wand and circled the boys, chasing both dementors away. Suddenly, it was no longer dark or cold. Mel could see the night sky and feel the hot air on her skin again.

"Harry!" she called, running toward him. "Harry, are you all right?"

"Melissa?" he said in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"Helping you of course," she panted, offering him a hand. He took it and stood up. "Are you ok?"

"I suppose," he said. "Do you know what's going on? Have you heard anything since your last letter? I'm sorry Hedwig couldn't find you. You must have been moving quite a bit."

"I was, and no, I haven't heard anything. We need to get inside, then I'll tell you everything I do know."

Reluctantly, Harry nodded. He hefted the boy—who was Harry's cousin—up and struggled to support him as they walked. Mel would have helped, but she needed to be able to defend them if anything, or anyone, else attacked.

"Harry! What is-Who are you? I am going to kill Mundungus Fletcher!"

Mel and Harry turned to see a distraught Ms. Fig running over to them.

"Who are you?" she asked Mel again.

"Melissa Evans," she answered, her wand raised.

"Ah, Dumbledore is very angry with you. Lower your wand, I'm not a threat to you."

Mel hesitated, but lowered her wand. Her powers were in overdrive and she could see this woman was a Squib, and working for Dumbledore.

"How do you know Dumbledore?" Harry asked.

"Who in the magical community doesn't? Just because I'm a Squib does not mean I've been exiled," she quipped. "Besides, someone reliable needed to look after you all these years."

"What do you mean? Has someone been following me?" Harry demanded. Mel could hear anger in his voice. She could not blame him for it. Throughout her various check ins, she had figured out no one was really communicating with him. Now he gets to find out someone has been near him the whole time, but no one had bothered to tell him anything.

"Come on," she said. "Let's walk and talk."

They walked backed to Harry's relatives' house. Mel on guard the whole way as Harry tried to interrogate Ms. Fig. Tried because she was too busy saying how she was going to kill whoever was supposed to been watching Harry. She only left once they were at the house.

Mel knocked on the door. She was not sure what she was expecting, but it was not the look of horror on the woman's face when she opened the door. Harry pushed his way inside with Mel following as the woman let out a screech. She began fussing over her very large son, who was still feeling the effects from the attack.

"What did you do to him?" a large man demanded of her. Mel vaguely remembered Harry mentioning how his relatives did not like magic. She sighed.

"_I_ did not do anything to him," Mel said loudly, so her voice would carry over all the fussing. The woman quieted and stared at her with disgust. "I stopped a dementor attack. They drain all the happiness from you. Your son is fine. Give him some chocolate and he'll be back to normal."

Mel did not miss the smirk on Harry's face when his relatives stared at her in bewilderment.

"He was—what?" the man stuttered.

"Just give him some chocolate, and he'll be fine."

"Who are you?" the woman demanded.

"A friend of Harry's from school, and I am of age. So I can use this," she said indicating her wand, "if necessary."

"Why are you here?"

"To protect Harry from the man that killed his parents. Now, if you'll excuse us, Harry needs some rest."

"You're, you're staying?" the man asked flabbergasted.

"Until other arrangements can be made," she said shortly. She turned to Harry who led them to his room upstairs, leaving a frightened and confused group of people in the sitting room. Harry busted into the laughter the second his door was closed.

"What?" Melissa asked, setting her bag on the ground.

"I've never seen them accept anything magic related that quickly," Harry said. "They're terrified of you."

"Well, someone should be," she muttered. She sat on the ground and leaned against the wardrobe. "Do me a favor, send a letter to Sirius and Dumbledore telling them what happened. We shouldn't have any repercussions, but Dumbledore should be informed all the same."

"All right. By the way, why is Dumbledore mad at you?" he asked, walking over to his desk to write the letters.

"Because I'm not listening to what he wants me to do," she sighed.

"So, are you going to tell me what's going on?" Harry asked.

"Well, if you've been reading the _Prophet_, you know Fudge is not letting any "odd" news be printed. It's also saying you, Cedric, and Dumbledore are loony. He's trying to turn the wizarding community against you, so no one will believe Voldemort is back."

"What? Why would we make that up?!"

"They're using a whole bunch of reasons. Dumbledore's old and being fooled by a young dark wizard in the making, and Cedric's mind has been addled. I guess you haven't been reading those at all, then," she explained, pointing to the scattered papers.

"No, just the front page," Harry muttered. "Great. Anything else?"

"Voldemort wants me dead almost as much as you, and Dumbledore's been reforming the Order of the Phoenix, which was a group that fought Voldemort before. I don't know how successful they've really been though."

"Wonderful," Harry said sarcastically. "Any idea why no one's told me anything?"

"Probably because their afraid of it being intercepted," Mel yawned. "You mind if we talk more in the morning? I'm exhausted."

"Sure. You can sleep on the bed if you want," he offered, looking a little awkward.

"Don't worry about it," Mel said, pulling her bag to her and opening it. "I've got a sleeping bag in here."

Mel laid out the bag in the corner and crawled into it. Harry looked a little uncomfortable, like he was not sure what to do.

"I'll sleep like a rock, so don't even worry about waking me," she said with a smile.

"All right. Hey Mel?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for coming to help me, and letting me know what's going on."

"Of course," Mel mumbled, already half-asleep.

XXX

Mel woke with a start the next morning, forgetting where she was. Her mind remembered after a few seconds. She could see the sun was already high in the sky: It must be late. The room was empty and the house seemed quiet. She crawled out of the bag, and dug through her knapsack for some clothes. After closing the bedroom door, she changed into the clothes, enjoying their clean feeling on her skin.

She crept quietly down the hall, hoping not to meet any of Harry's relatives. They did not seem like pleasant people, and she was not in the mood to deal with them or explain anything to him. She found Harry in the kitchen, making lunch.

"Hey," he said as she entered. "I was just coming to wake you. I made some lunch."

"Thanks," Mel said, following him to the table. He had made them a couple of sandwiches. They did not have a lot on them, but Mel could tell Harry had done his best. "Where are they? Your relatives."

"Out for the day. They said they would be back later tonight. We had a long talk this morning about last night. I think they needed a break. Sirius wrote me. Told me to stay out of trouble and not use any magic. It also said someone was coming to get me soon," Harry explained.

"Did they when or how?" she asked, taking another bite of her sandwich.

"Nope."

"Of course," she sighed.

"Will you come with me?" Harry asked, finishing his lunch.

"Where?"

"Wherever they take me when they come."

"We'll see," she said, playing with the crust of her bread. "I may need to go see Cedric first. They may not let me leave if I go with you right away, but I'll try to join you after," she added at the disappointed look on his face.

"I guess I understand," he sighed. "It's no fun to be locked up."

"No, it's not. I suggest we go pack you're room. It's a mess, and you need to be ready for when they come to get you."

"Yeah," Harry groaned. Mel laughed and took care of their dishes while Harry went to start on his room. When she joined him, he had taken care of the old newspapers and Hedwig's cage. She began sorting through his trunk.

"Do you clean anything out? Ever?" she asked, pulling out a handful of old essays.

"Cleaning and packing aren't my best skills," Harry joked, his voice lighter than she had heard it yet.

"So, I see."

It took them a few hours to clean and pack his room. Harry used the time to vent. He was angry about a lot, but mostly about how he felt his friends, Sirius, and Dumbledore were keeping him uninformed. Mel believed it was more Dumbledore's doing the others. In the few letters she had received from him, he had seemed different. It was like he was holding something back. Mel kept her opinions to herself. She did not want to fuel Harry's anger.

"That's the last of it," Mel said, plopping down on Harry's bed.

"Thanks for helping and listening," Harry said, sitting down on his desk chair.

"Feel any better?"

He shrugged. "Not really. I'm still angry, but it helped to talk a bit."

"Your anger won't go away over night," Mel said gently. "It'll take time. Trust me."

"Are you ever scared?" Harry asked. Mel met his eyes. He was vulnerable, trusting her to be honest and not think less of him.

"Of course, almost all the time."

"Yeah," Harry said quietly. "Me too."


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.**

They had had a quiet day, especially since the Dursleys were out. Mel was cleaning the dishes from dinner when Harry ran into the kitchen. Startled slightly, Mel jumped, which caused water to splash onto her shirt.

"Damn!" she said, backing away from the sink. "Was that necessary?"

"Sorry," Harry said, rolling his eyes. Stretching out his hand, he said, "These came for you."

Mel dried her hands and took the letters from him. She examined them, turning them in her hands. One was from Cedric. She was actually quite surprised it was not a howler. The second was from the Ministry. Curious, she opened it first.

"What is it?" Harry asked. Mel looked at him, wondering why he asked. He must have looked at the sender's name when he brought it done.

"I need to go to the Ministry tomorrow. They want to make sure it was me who cast the Patronus spell last night."

"Why? I thought they had a way to tell if it was or was not underage magic?" Harry asked.

"They do, but they know mistakes can be made. They probably want to find out why I am here with you. I'm sure it's nothing major," she added, seeing his look of worry.

Harry nodded. "You should probably read the other letter. Cedric's owl is upstairs, refusing to leave."

Harry smirked before heading back upstairs. Mel sighed and finished taking care of the dishes. She did not want Harry to get in trouble with the Dursleys for leaving a mess. She stared at the letter as it sat on the counter for a few minutes before picking it and flipping it over in her hands. Taking a deep breath, she tore the letter open. It was as she expected. His letter was full of anger, hurt, and worry. Mel wrote a quick note on the back of the parchment, explaining about the attack and that she was fine. She needed to see him soon…. She would go to him after her stop by the Ministry tomorrow.

XXX

"Mel, wake up! Did you hear that?"

Harry's urgent whisper broke through Mel's light sleep. She stretched herself out and groaned. She rolled over and looked at Harry. He was sitting on the edge of his bed looking at the door. His body was rigid as he listened intently. Mel listened and heard muffled voices from downstairs. She sat up and grabbed her wand. She saw Harry copy her movements.

"Stay behind me," she said. She waited for him to agree before opening the door. They both slipped out and walked as quietly as possible. The voices were clearer now. It sounded as if there were a dozen people downstairs. Mel was surprised they were not keeping their voices down. As they neared the top of the stairs, she realized the tone of their conversation was more curious and excited than malicious or secretive. She stopped walking and switched on a light.

"Professor Lupin!" Harry said, pushing past her and running down the stairs.

"What are you all doing here?" Mel said, slowly following Harry downstairs.

"We came to get Harry and you, and take you both to a safer location," Remus explained.

"Harry, why don't you go get your things," Mel suggested. Harry frowned at the dismissal, but left anyway. He was eager to be gone. A young witch with bright violet hair followed him up to his room.

"Remus," she said quietly. She did not want the others to overhear. However, she need not have worried, they were all too fascinated by the muggle appliances. Except Moddy, who was peeking out the window every few seconds. "I won't be coming with you."

"Why not?"

"Well, I need to go to the Ministry in the morning. I think they just want to ask why I was near Harry and using magic," she hesitated, knowing Remus would not like what she was going to say. "Then I am going to stay with Cedric for a bit."

"Is that so?" Remus asked. He was not happy. He folded his arms in front of his chest and frowned.

"I'm eighteen and have been on my own for a few weeks now. I think I'm capable of taking care of myself," she said firmly.

"You could've contacted me or Sirius or Dumbledore, and someone would have brought you to a safe place. You chose to hide and be on your own," he said, his tone was slightly accusatory.

"I did not want to be trapped or restricted, which is what would have happened if I had asked for help," Mel said, keeping her voice level.

"So what exactly do you plan on doing?"

"I'll get a few more hours of sleep here, pack up and go to the morning. I'll be fine."

Remus gave a frustrated sigh, which Mel took as a sign of consent. Harry came back downstairs. He and the purple-haired witch were carrying his trunk. They had stacked his broom and birdcage on top of it.

"Ready," he said, handing of the trunk to one of the other wizards and grabbing his broom off it. "You're not coming are you?"

"Not yet," Mel said apologetically. "I'll come see you in a few days, promise."

"All right," Harry said. The others start trickling outside. Mel gave Harry a quick hug, quickly because she did not want to embarrass him. Remus put a Disillusionment Charm on him, gave her a one-armed hug, and they both went to join the others. Mel watched them takeoff from the window. She locked the door and went back upstairs. Harry's room was very empty now. She had not realized how much space he actually took up. She set his alarm clock and lay down on the bed, falling asleep quickly.

XXX

The alarm went off far too early for Mel's liking. She crawled off the bed and pulled out the yellow dress and shoes Lindsey had gotten her for Christmas. After making herself presentable, she transformed her knapsack into a matching purse, took a deep breath, and apparated to the Ministry.

Mel looked around for some sort of a directory. She needed to find Mafalda Hopkirk, who worked in the Improper Use of Magic Office. However, she was unsure what floor that was located on. She was looking for some form of a directory when she bumped into someone.

"Oops, I'm sorry," she apologized, turning to face the person. "Oh, hello Mr. Weasley. How are you this morning?"

"Fine, thank you," he said, smiling good-naturedly. "Are you lost?"

"A little," she admitted sheepishly. "I need to find Mafalda Hopkirk's office. I have a meeting with her in fifteen minutes."

"She down on my floor. I'll show you where she is."

"Thank you," she said, following him to the elevator. "This place is quite impressive. I've only ever heard my friends describe it."

"Yes, it is," he said distractedly. They pushed their way inside the elevator, and he pushed the button for his floor. Mel had to steady herself with the metal railing as the elevator jerked down. Just as she righted herself the elevator came to an abrupt stop.

"This is us," Mr. Weasley said. She followed him out of the elevator, careful to not get in anyone's way. "Now go down this hallway here," he said, pointing to the left, "and it's the third to last door on the right."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Weasley," Mel said, turning to walk down the corridor.

"Oh, Molly would like you to come dinner soon. She thinks it'll be good for Harry."

"I'd be glad too. Thanks again," she said, waving.

Mel walked quickly down the corridor, weaving in and out of the crowd. She paused outside the door and straightened up her appearance. Her knock was answered by a clear and crisp "come in."

"Hello Melissa. How are you?"

Mel looked up and was surprised to see Amelia Bones, Lindsey's aunt, sitting at the desk. "I'm fine, Ms. Bones. And you?"

"Oh just fine," she said cheerily. "It's rather slow today, though you'd never tell with all the fuss out there. Please, have a seat."

Mel sat across from, growing slightly confused. Wasn't she supposed to meet Hopkirk? "Ms. Bones, I thought I was meeting Mrs. Hopkirk. Am I in the right place?"

"Yes, you are. Mafalda's running a little late this morning, so I'm filling in for her," she explained. "As for why you were called here, I must say there seems to be some sort of a mix up."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know why _they_ thought it was necessary to call you in here. You've done nothing wrong. No muggles saw you. I know that you would never risk exposure, so you must have had a reason for performing the Patronus Charm," Amelia said matter-of-factly.

Mel smiled. She thanked Merlin she had become friends with Lindsey. This could have gone so differently if they had not been. "I was visiting Harry Potter—we're friends from school, you see—when we were attacked by two dementors. I only used the spell to protect us."

"Well, it is odd that two dementors were that far from Azkaban. However, a lot of odd things are happening," she said, her carefree manner disappearing. "Off the record, my family and I believe what Dumbledore, Potter, and Diggory said in the spring. I'm sure you do as well, which is why you need to be on your guard. There are some who will use any means necessary to discredit us."

"I understand," Mel said, smiling.

"Well, I think we're done here," Amelia said, shuffling some papers around.

"Have a good day," Mel said, getting up and walking toward the door.

"You too dear."

Mel walked back to the elevators, her nerves gone for the moment. The corridor had cleared a bit and it was easier for her to meander through the people. Not paying attention, she got on the first elevator that opened. Out of the corners of her eyes, she could see a few others were in there with her. She did not pay attention to them until some held her upper arm in a vice grip. Startled, she turned to see who it was.

"Cedric!" she said. He loosened his grip and she threw her arms around him. The other two people were looking at them curiously, but Mel ignored them. "What are you doing here?"

The elevator jerked to a stop before he answered. He took her by the arm again and led her out. He took them to a small, empty office about halfway done the corridor. He pushed her inside rather roughly and shut the door behind them.

"Cedric, what are you doing?" Mel asked, regaining her balance and turning to face him.

Again, he did not answer. Instead, he crossed the room in three strides, pinned her to the wall, and crashed his mouth to hers. Mel's body reacted to his movements before her mind could stop it. Cedric pressed his body into hers. One of his hands was wrapped in her hair to hold head steady as the other slipped down her side. Mel's arms and legs wrapped around as he pushed her further up the wall, never breaking the kiss. Feeling dizzy, Mel finally pulled away, gasping as she pulled oxygen into her lungs. Cedric barely paused, his lips now trailing kisses down her neck and one hand sliding under her dress.

"Cedric, stop," she gasped, pushing against his shoulders. "I don't want to do this here."

Cedric looked up at her. "Why not? It could be fun," he smirked, his voice gruff. His eyes were a contrast to his playful expression. There was a darkness to them. It sent a shiver through Mel. Her fear must have shown in her face because he set her gently on the ground and stood back a little. He could not go far though; her arms were still wrapped around his neck.

"You're afraid of me," he muttered. "It's why you've been avoiding all summer."

"No, I'm not!" she said, tightening her grip so he could not pull away. "I was staying away because I was afraid of putting you in danger. I've been fighting myself to stay away all summer. In fact, I was coming to you after my meeting here. I love you so much. It's hurt me to stay away for so long, especially since I know how much pain you've been in."

Cedric seemed consoled by her answer. He sighed and pulled her into a hug. She let her arms fall from his neck and wrapped them around his waist instead.

"I could never be afraid of you," she whispered.

"I wouldn't bet on it," he said, his tone bitter. "I've been scaring my parents quite a bit as of late."

"You're angry. It'll be ok," she said reassuringly.

Cedric scoffed and released her. "How was your meeting?"

"Fine, nothing happened. Amelia Bones said there must have a mix up. Good news is she and her family believe what happened in the spring. What are you doing here?" she asked again, straightening her dress and hair.

"Just came to see my father," he said, running his fingers through his hair.

"Couldn't you see him at home?"

"No, I haven't been with them all summer."

"Why not?" Mel asked, taking a step toward him.

"Same reason you were trying to stay away, to keep them safe," he shrugged. "They're still in the house. I'm nearby, in case something happens. I try not to go there much though, just to be safe."

She nodded. "We should go, your father's expecting you."

"Fine," he said, taking her hand. "But then I'm taking you home."

The two of them received curious glances as they walked to Mr. Diggory's office. Cedric did not bother knocking as his father shared an office with two other people.

"Hi Dad," Cedric said as he and Mel neared his father's desk.

Mr. Diggory looked up from his work. He got up from his desk and came to hug his son. "How are you two? When did you get here, Melissa?"

"We just met in the hall actually," she said, giving him a one-armed hug since Cedric was still holding her other hand.

"But she'll be coming home with me," Cedric said. "It's safer than her running around the country until school starts."

Mel stood uncomfortably while Cedric and his father shared a tense look. Mel noticed Cedric take a folded up piece of parchment from his father and put in his pocket.

"Well," Mr. Diggory finally said, "I hope you are both well. Your mother says hello."

"Send her my love. We'd best be going," he added. Mr. Diggory's co-workers were back and staring at them suspiciously.

"Of course. Be careful," he added sternly.

Cedric nodded good-bye, and led Mel out into the hall. He pulled them off to the side, where no one would bump into them. He wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close.

"What are we doing?" she asked.

"Side-along apparition. Hold on tight."

They turned on the spot. Mel felt the familiar sensation of being squeezed through a vacuum. She tightened her grip on Cedric. They appeared outside a small house that was just bigger than a shed. It was surrounded by trees, which kept it hidden from anyone walking on the road. Cedric quickly led her inside; being out in the open for too long made him nervous. Once inside, he went about casting the protection spells.

Mel looked around her. Everything, but the bathroom was in one room. The bed was against the left wall, while the kitchen lined the right. There was a small couch in front the fireplace, which was directly on her left.

"How have you not gone mad?" she asked, looking at the room.

"Who says I haven't?" he whispered. He wrapped his arms around her waist and began kissing her neck.

"I've missed you," he said between kisses.

"I've missed you too," she said, feeling the longing well up within her.

"I need you," he whispered huskily.

"I-I can tell," she said, her voice strained.

She felt his smile on her neck as he unzipped her dress and unclasped her bra. Her clothes fell to her feet. Hesitantly, she turned to face him. His shirt and pants were already off. She started to say something, but was stopped by his mouth.

"No talking or thinking," he said, biting her neck. He picked her up and carried her over to the bed. While lowering them onto the bed, he whispered, "I love you." He again silenced her by pressing his mouth and body to hers.

XXX

The setting sun fell across them on the bed. Cedric listened to Mel's steady breathing as she slept. He felt the beginnings of guilt form within him. He had lost control. He had not meant to, but seeing her and touching her had driven him over the edge. He had just missed her so much. His need for her was greater than it had ever been. Maybe it had to do with the fact that if it were not for her, he would be dead. He did not know, nor did he really care. At the moment, his only concerned was that he had been too rough and had hurt her.

He felt her stretch out beside him. Involuntarily, he stiffened. Was she awake? He was afraid to open his eyes and look. He had already seen the bruises on her neck and shoulders where he had bitten her. Cedric shivered when he felt her lips on his collarbone. Yes, she was awake. He opened his eyes, and forced himself to stare at the ceiling.

"I thought you were awake," she said.

He wrapped an arm around her bare back. "I wasn't tired."

"Really?" He chanced a glance at her. She was smiling up at him, a mischievous look in her eyes. She was not upset nor did she seem like she was in pain. "I'm quite impressed."

"How do you feel?"

She looked at him curiously. "Happy. Peaceful. Loved."

"You're not in any pain?" he asked, pushing himself up on his arms.

She looked at him like he was crazy. "Of course not! Though I can't say I'm overly pleased about the love marks you left behind. Mrs. Weasley wanted me to come to dinner by the end of the week. How can I possibly do that with these things on my neck?" she teased. Cedric let out a long breath.

"You need to stop worrying about everything," she said quietly, laying her head on his chest. "You're still allowed to enjoy things, be happy."

"Hmm."

She sighed and moved away from him. Not wanting her to be angry with him, he sat and wrapped his arms around her waist and her in place. She leaned against him and placed her arms over his. "What can I do?"

"I don't know," he said into her shoulder. "Don't give up on me or leave. Things are clearer, not as bad, when you're with me."

She slumped against him and turned her face so her lips brushed the line of jaw when she spoke. "Last year, you told me I had to live if you didn't make it out of the maze. I won't leave or give up on you, but you have to remember to live too. Don't give up on yourself."

He kissed her head and pulled her back down beside him, holding her tight. He supposed he had not been trying to even deal with what he had experienced in the spring. He could at least try for them, for their future.

"All right," he whispered.

"Thank you."

He could hear the smile in her voice. Cedric let out a content breath. If nothing else, he would at least try to keep her happy and safe.

**AN: Hope you enjoyed it. Please be patient when it comes to future updates. Classes are starting and I've hit a bit of a block (I know what I want to happen later on, but I need to think of how to get there). Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

**AN PLEASE READ: I'm so SORRY that I haven't updated in forever. I started my upper levels for my journalism degree this semester (I start my upper levels for business next semester). One of my "classes" involves writing articles (that do get published) for a local paper. It takes a lot of time, and I still have other classes to do. **

**I work for the newspaper about 30 hours a week, plus 9 hours of classes a week, and 10-15 at my paying job. I'm often very tired, and don't have a lot of energy (plus I've had some horrible writer's block as of late).**

**I just want you all to know that I AM NOT abandoning this story. Updates will probably just be few and far until December (when this class is over). I appreciate you all who are still reading this, and I apologize again for taking so long to update.**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.**

The next few days passed slowly and quietly. Melissa spent the time catching up on summer homework. She had more than enough time to mediate and call visions. She saw nothing for days, which she found unnerving. Where was Voldemort? Sean? Why were things so quiet?

She was half-tempted to write Dumbledore and ask if he knew anything, but her pride and anger kept her from doing so. Mel could not get over or understand his decision to constantly keep Harry in the dark. Whether it was about her, Voldemort's current actions (or lack there of), or the catalyst for everything that had happened to Harry. Mel had recently learned of Trelawney's prediction, which basically said Harry and Voldemort would kill each other. She understood that Dumbledore did not want to burden Harry any more than necessary, but the longer he waited to tell him, the harder it would be for Harry to hear. Mel was thinking of ways to subtly suggest to Harry what was unavoidable. To her, this was obvious: It was why she had not been able to stop Voldemort's return in the first place. However, she did not think Harry truly understood that yet either because he had not thought of it that way or was just not ready to accept it.

Cedric still was not himself, though Mel doubted he ever would be. He had seen something traumatic, which, unlike Harry, was not a regular occurrence in his life. He was quieter than he had ever been and his mood swings sometimes gave her whiplash. She tried not to complain or be too hard on him. She still blamed herself for what he was going through. She should have been able to stop him from seeing everything. She should have been stronger….

"Mrs. Weasley is inviting us for dinner tomorrow night," Cedric said, entering the one-roomed house. Aurora was perched on his shoulder. She must have arrived while Cedric was out running. "Our Hogwarts letters are here too."

Mel got up from the floor and jumped over her scattered schoolbooks. She took her Hogwarts letter and Mrs. Weasley's from him. "Do you want to go to dinner with me?"

He shrugged as he opened his letter. "If you that's what you want."

"You don't have to, but I promised Harry I would come see him," Mel said, working to keep the frustration out of her voice. She wanted him to want or not want to go. She wanted him to be less passive.

"Sure, why not," he said, shrugging again. Mel looked down at her letter and turned away from him, so he would not see her frown. When she heard him sigh loudly, she had to count to ten before speaking to him.

"What is it?" she asked, facing him with her arms folded in front of her.

He held up a gold badge with the letters "HB" engraved on it.

"Head Boy, congratulations," she said, giving him a genuine smile. He grimaced and set the badge and letter on the table. "This is a good thing. You should be happy."

"Did I earn it though? Or did Dumbledore just feel sorry for me? I'm tired of people being nice out of pity."

"Who's been nice out of pity? I doubt you've seen anyone long enough for that," she scoffed.

"It's just one more thing to worry about…."

Mel took a deep, trying to keep calm. "Cedric, you did earn that badge. You've been an excellent role model and student for the past six years. The fact that you still got it, even after all the crap the _Prophet's_ written about you this summer, means that all the professors still think well of you and stand behind you."

Cedric remained silent for a couple of minutes, avoiding her eyes. He stared blankly over her head and said, "I'll go to dinner with you."

He set the badge down on the table and left. Mel stood frozen in the middle of the small house. She felt defeated. He was shutting her out now. What was she supposed to do? Get mad at him? What good would that do?

She went back to her pile of books and cleaned everything up, setting it all on the kitchen table. Pulling a blanket around her, she curled up on the small couch and watched the flames of the fire until she fell asleep.

She was not sure how long she had been sleeping, but she was sure she did not want to open her eyes. Mel listened as Cedric tried to be quiet while shuffling around the room. She heard him walk over to her.

"Mel," he whispered, shaking her slightly. She feigned sleep, not wanting to talk. She heard him sigh and felt herself lifted off the couch. He carried her over to the bed and set her down gently. She felt the bed sink as he lay down next to her. The rustling of the sheets let her know he was trying to cover them. When he finished, he wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed the side of her head. He smelled like the outdoors, which was better than him smelling like firewhiskey.

"I'm sorry about today, love," he whispered. "Tomorrow will be better."

Mel shifted herself a little closer to him, hoping he still believed her to be asleep. He must have because after a few minutes she heard his steady breathing.

XXX

Sleep was not easy that night. Mel tossed and turned as she dreamt about endless hallways and locked doors, the graveyard, and vague dark scenes all staring a smirking Sean. Her distress must have manifested itself physically because, at some point in the night, Cedric shook her awake.

"What's wrong?" he asked groggily. "Was it a vision?"

"No," she said, sitting up. She held her head in her hands, "It was just a nightmare."

She heard him move beside her and then felt him place his head against her shoulder.

"About what?" he mumbled into her skin.

"Not sure," she said, lying down on her side. "There was a lot. I'm sorry for waking you."

Cedric sighed and pushed her over on her back, so she was looking up at him.

"What?" she asked, growing annoyed. She just wanted to sleep. They could talk in the morning.

"Don't apologize to me," he said. "I know I'm making your life difficult. I can't help it. _I'm_ sorry."

Mel, too tired to say anything, motioned for him to lie down and snuggled up next to him.

"Why do you love me?" he asked.

"Because you love me, take of me, and put up with me no matter how crazy I get," she said, yawning slightly. "If the situation was reversed, you'd do the same for me. Now go to sleep, I'm exhausted."

He gave a small chuckle and hugged her tightly.

"Good night, love."

XXX

"Ready?" Mel asked the next evening as she straightened her blouse.

"Yes, tough I don't understand why we needed to dress up," he asked, flattening the collar of his button-up shirt.

"We're not dressed up. We're just dressed nicely," she said lightly. "And it's because I wanted too."

"Whatever," Cedric muttered. He opened the front door for her, and they walked to the edge of the property together. He took her hand when they stopped, and they apparated to headquarters together.

They appeared on the front step of a very old, decrepit looking house. Mel knocked on the door, remembering Mrs. Weasley had asked them not to use the bell.

"This doesn't seem weird to you?" Cedric asked, balancing on his heels.

"How so?"

"I mean, we're essentially eating with the 'family' that couldn't be bothered to take care of you or didn't know about you, and their very close friends."

"We've talked about this before," Mel sighed, slightly annoyed. "Sirius was in Azkaban, and Lupin thought it would be easier for me if he wasn't around, given that he is a werewolf. Surprisingly, Harry's been very accepting of the whole situation."

"Including your abandonment?" Cedric pushed.

Mel grimaced. No, Harry was upset they had put her in an orphanage and acted like she was no one until they needed her to help him. "He shares your opinion in this matter. Though, we may not be together if things had been different."

"Not true," Cedric said defiantly. "I would have wanted to be with you no matter the circumstances."

Mel smiled as the door opened, and Mrs. Weasley let them in. The inside of the house was not much better than the outside. It was poorly lit and very grey. It showed signs of not being lived in for a very long time. The chandeliers and light sconces were of snakes, and there was decapitated heads of house elves. Mel got the feeling either pureblood extremists or dark wizards had lived there. Mrs. Weasley led them down the narrow and down a flight of stairs.

"I hope you've both been well," she said. "We've been very busy here. Trying to make this place habitable for human beings."

"We're fine," Mel said—a little too quickly. She glanced at Cedric, who had his jaw clenched, and sighed. It was going to be a long night. "Why is this headquarters?"

"It's very well protected, especially since Dumbledore put the Fidelius Charm on it. It's Sirius' family home," she said, her tone disapproving.

"Here," she said, leading them into a dining room. "Take a seat, the rest will be down in just a minute."

Dinner was far from enjoyable. It was clear that there was tension between Mrs. Weasley and Sirius, both were being too civil to each other. Cedric kept avoided speaking, though the muscle in his jaw twitched every time Sirius or Remus spoke to her. About halfway through dinner, he excused himself. Harry shot her a questioning look, but Mel just shrugged. When he did not return by dessert, she excused herself to find him.

She walked back up the stairs and the hallway they had come from, checking doors and rooms as she went. Mel continued up the next set of stairs when she did not find him. On the next landing, she found a door a jar and poked her head in. Cedric was standing over the fireplace with his back to the door.

"Hey," she said gently. He turned his head to look at her, nodded, and went back to staring at the flames. "Do you want to join us for dessert, or just go home?"

"I will. You should go back down, spend time with Harry," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. She sighed and walked to stand beside him.

"They act like they didn't abandon you, like they've been there for you this whole time," he said stiffly.

"Let's just go home," she said. "I'll just say I don't feel well."

His jaw clenched and Mel braced herself for the angry tirade that was about to follow.

"They act like they've done nothing wrong!" Cedric said fiercely. "Like they didn't abandon you and leave you helpless in that orphanage."

"Cedric, I don't want to do this now," Mel said, straining to keep her voice low. "Let's just go home."

"I don't understand why you ignore how they've treated you," he muttered, as she walked away from them.

"I don't ignore it!" she yelled, finally losing her control. "I don't like what they did, but I can't change it! And they did the best they could."

Cedric's jaw clenched again and he stared stoically in her direction.

Mel let out a groan of frustration. "I'm leaving. Don't follow me."

Mel half-ran out of the room and down the stairs. She had hoped to get out without running into anyone, but Harry was by the front door as she descended the last flight of stairs.

"Mel, what's wrong?" he asked.

"It's nothing, just a dumb fight," Mel said, trying to wipe her eyes. " Listen, I'm sorry, but I have to go. I just need to clear my head. See you soon, ok?"

Harry was clearly confused, but nodded his head anyway.

"Thank you," Mel whispered, hugging him good-bye. Mel slipped out the door and onto the dimly lit street. She wiped her eyes, so that anyone who was out wouldn't pay her any extra attention, and started walking toward the center of town.

**I hope you enjoyed it. And sorry for the wait. Please be patient!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.**

Mel walked along the semi-empty street. She kept her head lowered, unable to stop her tears. She felt awful for leaving Harry. She knew he needed to talk, but she just needed to get away from Cedric. Mel hesitated at a four-way intersection.

Where could she go? It was late. Even if she had been writing Angela and Lindsey, it was way too late to just appear at their door. Plus, she would have to explain what was going on with Cedric. Mel did not feel right talking about his issues with others. She sighed; she was avoiding all the places she would normally go to. She held out wand, waved it, and took a few steps back.

_BANG!_

The triple-decker, purple bus appeared with a giant gust of wind. She climbed up the steps and handed the driver her fair.

"Leakey Cauldron, please," she said before walking down the aisle and sitting on one of the beds. They took of with a jerk, and, after a few stomach upsetting stops, she was let off at the pub.

Tom, the bartender, was wiping down the tables. He set down the dirty rag when he saw her.

"Can I help you, Miss?" he asked.

"I need a room for the night. It's just me."

Tom nodded and went to get her a key. He led her up the stairs to the third floor, telling her to let him know if she needed anything. She bid good night, as she closed the door behind him.

She scribbled a quick letter to Cedric, just to let him know she was ok. She then crawled into the bed, still her clothes, and cried herself to sleep.

XXX

When Mel woke up the next morning, her body was oddly sore and stiff. Stretching, she figured her body must have been tense as she slept. The sun was shining brightly into her room. _It must be late,_ she thought. _I should get back._ She sighed and got out of the comfortable bed.

She tried to fix herself, but it was no use. She was a mess: wrinkled clothes, smeared make up and knotted hair. She washed her face with cold water, fixed her hair with the complementary brush and comb and straightened her clothes to the best of her ability.

Yet again, she found herself avoiding people's gazes as she descended the steps and crossed the pub floor to the counter. She paid for her room and went to the back, where she could apparate home.

Mel apparated outside the perimeter of the security spells. She supposed she might have just apparated straight into the house since she knew where it was, but thought it best not to surprise Cedric. She took her time walking up the dirt path, which was surrounded by tall, browning grasses. She paused upon reaching the door of the small cottage and took a calming breath before knocking.

She heard the hurried footsteps inside before the door was yanked open. Cedric stood in the frame, his wand raised and eyes distrustful. When it registered who she was, he lowered his wand and his features relaxed, but only a bit.

"Didn't think you were coming back," he said coolly.

"Of course, I was! I just needed to get away for a while, be by myself," she said, hoping he would understand.

"Because of me."

He didn't.

"No!" she said exasperatedly. "Because of the situation. Because I saw everything you and Harry experienced — I might as well have been there too! Because I keep having nightmares about the graveyard and Voldemort and Sean. Because I feel betrayed and abandoned by those who were supposed to protect me. But mostly, because I feel helpless. I don't know how to help you or Harry," she said, her voice trailing away. She gave him a pleading look as her eyes filled with tears.

Cedric's hard exterior fell and he pulled her to him and inside the house. He cradled her as she cried into his chest.

"I'm sorry," he finally said. "I didn't even think about what you've been going through."

"I was trying to be strong for you," she sobbed. "You've always been so strong for me."

"We're going to get through this," he reassured with a determined tone.

And for the first time in ages, she believed him.

**AN: I know it's short, but I needed to write this to finish up what happened in chapter 25 and let us move forward in the story. As always, thank you for your time and patience.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

**A/N: I have no new excuses: writer's block, too much work/not enough time, etc. To anyone still reading this, you're awesome. I have a long weekend and am snowed in (yes, the snow is why I have a long weekend), so I have time to get some work done on this story. Please enjoy this short update and forgive me for my long hiatus.**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.**

September first was the opposite of what rest of the summer had been. Instead of sweltering hot with no escape from the sun, it was cool and grey with a threat of rain. Mel stood on the platform, people-watching as she waited for Cedric to return from stowing their trunks. The mood was different from years past. It was more subdued. Parents and children seemed less excited for the coming school year. The change in atmosphere was no doubt due to the rumors from the _Prophet_, though Mel half-hoped some believed Dumbledore, Harry and Cedric.

"Ready?" Cedric said, reappearing by her side. She smiled and took his arm. "Sorry that took so long. Mum came to see me off."

"How is she?"

"All right," he shrugged. "She's stressed."

"Worried about you and your dad more like," Mel said,

"And you," Cedric added, following her onto the train. "You're basically the daughter she never had."

Mel smiled. "Should we look for our friends or just head to the prefects' compartment?"

"Prefects' compartment. We can look for Ryan and the rest later."

They made their way to the front of the train to the compartment the prefects normally met in to discuss basic duties. The head boy and girl would schedule another meeting in a few days to work out patrol schedules for the year. The train was crowded with students searching for their friends, an empty compartment, or just stopping to chat before going to their seats. Mel and Cedric had to slowly push their way throw.

"Who's head girl again?" Mel asked, sliding the compartment door open.

"Edith Wesley. She's in Ravenclaw. One of the quiet ones that doesn't say much until she's in a leadership position," Cedric said, shutting the door.

"Wow. I can't remember her at all and you know all that?"

"Fourth year, group project. Not an experience I care to remember."

"She can't be that bad," Mel said, sliding along the bench until she was next to the window. Cedric only shrugged as he sat next to her.

"It's weird, isn't it?" she asked.

"That a bossy Ravenclaw's head girl? No, not really. What's weird is that she isn't in the Cedric Diggory fan club, as you call it."

Mel twisted her head so fast she was sure she pulled a muscle. It was the first joke Cedric had made in months. She was so shocked she didn't even laugh.

"What?" he asked, his brows knitted together in concern.

"Nothing," she said quietly. She went back to looking out the window, rubbing the left side of her neck.

"What's weird?" he prompted.

"Huh?" she asked, looking at him again. Remembering her original question she said, "Oh! Well, that this is our last year at school. It's a nerve-wracking and exciting, isn't it?"

"Sure," he said, kissing her forehead. He did not really feel nervous or excited by this being his last year. Honestly, he would have been fine not coming back for it. He was somewhat happy; though that was due to Mel being in higher spirits as of late. He didn't know why that was and it scared him. He had been trying to do better for her, and he knew she wouldn't leave him. However, he could not stop himself from wondering time to time that she was looking forward to school to get away from him, even if it was only for a few hours.

As the thought crossed his mind, he laced their fingers and squeezed her hand gently. She squeezed back, a small smile on her lips. He shook his head, silently admonishing himself for being so ridiculous.

XXX

"I can't believe you spent a month alone with your boyfriend!" Angela exclaimed. They were in their dormitory, telling each other everything that had happened over the summer. Well, Mel shared almost everything. She couldn't explain where she had been for the first month of the holiday with too much detail, and she didn't feel right talking about Cedric's issues. They weren't hers to talk about.

"It's not that big of a deal," Mel said, feeling heat rush to her cheeks. She fidgeted with Angela's bedspread, avoiding her friend's disbelieving eyes.

"Melissa Evans! It is a big deal and you know it!"

Mel laughed and shook her head, slightly embarrassed. She supposed it was a big deal, or should have been. But her and Cedric's living situation really hadn't seemed that different than normal. Instead of having little–to-no supervision at his house, they simply had no supervision. Their laughter died down and Angela grew serious.

"It's true, isn't it? What Dumbledore said at the end of last year, about…about You-Know-Who?" Angela asked, her voice the quietest Mel had ever heard it.

"Yes," Mel said. "You didn't believe them, did you?"

It was Angela's turn to avoid eye contact. She looked just over Mel's head as she spoke. "I didn't want to, not at first. Not for a while really, but eventually the _Prophet's_ constant attacking on two students just didn't make sense. Why make Potter and Ced look bad, crazy even? It just felt like something was being covered up."

"I'm glad _you_ realized that," Mel muttered.

"Lindsey feels the same," Angela said in a tone that suggested she was trying to be helpful.

Mel nodded. "Thanks, Cedric will appreciate the support."

"I'm sure. How is he?"

"He's…" Mel hesitated, unsure of how to say exactly how Cedric was. "He's working on getting through it all."

Angela nodded, as if she understood what Mel meant. Mel doubted she could even fathom what she meant by "getting through it." They said their goodnights, not wanting to risk oversleeping on the first day back. Besides, they had Defense with that horrible ministry woman first thing tomorrow. As Mel crawled into bed and pulled the blankets around her, she couldn't help feel a little lonely.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

**AN: Again, sorry for the huge delay in updating. I have no new excuses: school and work keep me pretty busy and I've really been struggling to figure out where to take this story. After a lot of thought and plot drafts, I've decided to wrap up this story. I think there will be two more updates after this post. Thank you to everyone who is still reading this story, especially **Slytherin Princess Jade, Airabelle, happypanda19, DreamUnicorn247, invisible-gurl, **and everyone else who has reviewed, favorited and followed this story. I really appreciate your support and feedback.**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.**

Cedric was awoken by the nightmare yet again. He started to reach for Mel before remembering he was in his bed at school. He rolled over on his back and focused on his breathing. The nightmare was occurring less and less now, but he doubted it would ever go away completely. He was thankful for placing a silencing charm around his bed. He was sure he'd been talking as he slept. Mel said he usually muttered things when he dreamed about the graveyard.

When his pulse had returned to normal, he glanced at his clock. It was four-thirty in the morning. He groaned. He doubted he'd be able to fall back asleep in time to get any rest. It was weird that Mel wasn't here, though he felt guilty for wishing she were now. He had woken her up so many times; he was surprised she didn't look permanently exhausted. This was probably the first night in weeks that she would get a full night's sleep.

He sighed and pulled one of the pillows over his face, hoping it would block everything out and he'd be able to get back to sleep.

XXX

Their last year flew by in a blur. Their professors had them hard at work preparing for their N.E.W.T.s. Mel hadn't felt this stressed for her O.W.L. Her and Cedric's relationship continued to have its ups and downs, but they were still together. Quidditch had been a good distraction for Cedric. It was a good release for his emotions, and kept him from blowing up at Professor Umbridge, who was a witch in more ways than one. She wished the same could have been said for Harry, but he continued to get himself into trouble with the horrible toad. A part of her felt she should talk to him more, but she often managed to convince herself that he was just being an angry teen. If anything were really wrong, Ron, Hermione, or Sirius would know about it. She wouldn't have been able to convince herself of this, if it wasn't for her studies.

"Come on, Mel," Angela said, nudging her side gently. "If I can stay awake to get through this pile of homework, you can."

Mel sat up and shook her head. She had been more tired than usual, and was having horrible headaches. She wondered if it had anything to with her Sight. She hadn't had any weird dreams or vision for most of the year, but that didn't matter. Her Sight caused most of her problems. She doubted this time was any different.

"Sorry, I've just never been this bored when working on Defense Against the Dark Arts. I doubt the exam will have anything to do the theories of defense," Mel complained. "Maybe parts of the written exam, but this won't be the only thing on there. How is this supposed to prepare us for anything?"

"I know. At least we all got to practice will spells in the D.A. before Umbridge caught us," Angela sighed. "Call it a night?"

"Please," Mel said, closing her book. Their walk down to the Hufflepuff dormitory was a quiet one: Angela was lost in her own thoughts. For once the corridors weren't empty when they left the library. There were still quite a few people out in the halls. Halfway down the staircase between the third and second floors, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey," Cedric said. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

He looked pale, nervous. "Of course," Mel said, growing concern. She turned to Angela and said, "I'll see you later."

Cedric lead them back up the staircase on to an empty corridor. Mel turned to face him. He was standing closer than she expected, only a few inches from her.

"Is something wrong?"

"No," he said, pulling her to him and holding her tightly in place. "Should there be?"

"It's hard to tell these days."

"Not as fun being like all the other mortals, is it?" he teased. She sighed and leaned her head against his chest.

"So, why'd you bring me here?"

"For this." He tilted her chin up and crashed his lips to hers. She hadn't expected his fierceness and had to grip his shoulders to steady herself. Cedric's only reaction was to move one hand to the small of her back and knot one in her hair. Mel was just relaxing, when she felt the beginnings of a vision. It hit her so fast; she just had time to pull away.

She must have passed out for a minute because she found herself sitting on the cold stone floor, a nervous Cedric beside her. Her head was throbbing, she wondered if she had hit something.

"What happened?" she asked, leaning her head against her knees.

"Kissing, vision, I think you blacked out for a second," he said, brushing her hair off her neck, which, she realized, was slightly sweaty. "What did you see?"

Mel took a deep breath, trying to sort out what she had seen. She felt like she only had gotten a quick glimpse, though she was sure she had seen more than she could recall at the moment.

"I think it was a battle, but… I can't remember anything else. Not who was there or where there is, nothing," she shrugged.

"It doesn't matter," Cedric said, his voice suddenly hard. "Let's just get you back to the dormitory. Can you stand?"

She nodded her head and pushed herself off the floor, Cedric guiding her. He wrapped an arm around her waist, offering her support. She didn't need it, but let him lead her anyway.

"I wish I could remember what I saw," she said quietly.

"Maybe you weren't supposed to."

"What do you mean?"

"Only that if you were supposed to see it all, you would have. No need to go digging further," he said shortly. Mel heard a bit of anger in his voice. She couldn't understand why he'd be upset. Not feeling up to a discussion, she remained silent. He walked her all the way to the common room and then to the staircase to the girls' dormitories, pausing only when they stood at the foot of the stairs.

"Are you interested in going to Hogsmeade on Saturday?" he asked, letting his arm drop from her waist.

"Sure." She leaned forward and gave him a light kiss. "Cedric?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I stay with you tonight?"

Cedric half-smiled, "Let's go while the coast is clear."

XXX

The boys' dormitory was unusually quiet for a Friday morning. Cedric, like most of the seventh years, had his final N.E.W.T. exam that afternoon. However, it was in History of Magic and he wasn't overly concerned about it. Plus, Mel was snuggled up next to him. He nudged her, not wanting to make too much noise in case his roommates were still in the room. She stretched in response, whacking him in the face as she did.

"Sorry," she mumbled, rolling over onto her stomach and resting her head on his chest. "What time is it?"

Cedric snuck a look at his clock, which was on the other side of the bed curtain. As he did, he noticed that the room was empty a part from him and Mel. "Ten in the morning."

"Shit," Mel sighed. "I wanted to study more before the exam."

"The exam isn't until two," Cedric said, rolling his eyes. "You have plenty of time to study."

"I'll acknowledge that you have a point, but please note that I don't care."

"Noted. Now, would you like to eat something?"

She nodded her head as she sat up on her knees.

"Then go get dressed an meet me downstairs. I'll sneak us into the kitchen."

Mel rolled her eyes at him, as she slipped on her clothes from yesterday. "Like I couldn't get it myself."

He laughed and pulled her to him, so he could kiss her. "Just go get dressed and don't be so mouthy in the morning. She stuck her tongue at him and twisted out of his grip. He heard her mumble something about morning breath as she left, pausing only to smirk at him.

XXX

"I can't believe it," Angela sighed. "We're done."

"Yeah, it's exciting and weird. We've been here for seven years. I can't imagine being anywhere else," Mel said.

They had finished their final N.E.W.T exam and were officially done with their Hogwarts education. Mel, Angela, and Lindsey were lying next to the lake and enjoying the nice weather, for one of the last times. Mel was unusually tired and having a difficult time staying awake, especially under the warm sun. She drifted off for only a minute when she had the vision from last night again, but it was much clearer this time.

Fighting the dizziness, she shot up and scrambled to her feet. Lindsey and Angela asked her what was wrong, but she only mumbled she had forgotten to do something. She sprinted back up to the school and weaved in and out of people in the corridors up to the fourth floor. When she arrived, Umbridge's door was unlocked and there were several unconscious and hexed Slytherins inside. She closed the door and sprinted back down the stairs, hoping to find the only Order member left.

Gasping for breath, she pounded on the Potions Master's door. An annoyed "Enter" followed. She pushed the door open so enthusiastically that it slammed against the stonewall. Surprised was not a good enough description for what Snape was when he saw, but Mel couldn't care about that now.

"You —have to—alert—the Order. Harry's in—trouble."

"What do you mean?" Snape asked, handing her a glass of water. She took it and hesitated. Did he know? Could she worry about that?

"Do you know about me?" she asked.

"I know you're a Seer, yes," he said quickly. She could still hear the skepticism in his voice.

"I had a vision. Voldemort tricked Harry, using their connection, into the Department of Mysteries. Some of the others went with him and they're all in trouble. It's a trap," she explained urgently. Snape studied her a moment longer before making a decision.

"I'll alert the Order. You go to the Hospital Wing and have Madam Pomfrey give you a calming drought. Don't make any detours," he said, his tone threatening on the last bit.

Mel nodded, but had no intention of listening. She did her best to calmly exist the office and make her way through the castle. She was speed walking now, still getting her breathing under control. If she could make it to the gates without getting stopped, she could help Harry for once. The Order was going to be too late. She was halfway across the grounds when someone grabbed her arm and pulled her backwards. She spun around to see a glaring Cedric.

"Where are you going?" he growled.

"To help Harry!" she snapped, yanking her arm away from him.

"The Order will take care of it," he said through gritted teeth.

"They'll be too late. I'm going. You can come if you feel you need to," she said, turning and making her way toward the gates. She heard him groan in frustration and run to catch up with her.

"This isn't safe Mel."

"Of course it's not. It's a war, but I can't just sit here and wait, not after last year."

They reached the gates and Cedric opened them, his face set in a glare. Mel sighed as she walked through the gates.

"I love you Cedric," she said, taking his hand. "But I need to do this."

He gave a small nod and squeezed her hand. Mel took a nervous breath and they apparated to the Ministry of Magic.

XXX

They apparated near the statue of the witch and wizard surrounded by magical creatures. The corridor was empty and completely quiet. Slowly and with their wands raised, they walked toward the lifts. Mel's heart was pounding. She had seen a battle in her vision, this hall in particular, but no one was here. How was she supposed to help anyone if she could not find them?

They were about thirty feet away from the lifts when they heard them moving. Cedric forced them into a small nook as the lift clanked into place. A maniacal laugh echoed through the marble corridor. A figure dressed in black and with wild black hair ran by them without a second glance, as there was a second clang from the lifts. A few seconds later, they heard someone utter a curse and saw a flash of red light. Mel maneuvered herself from between the wall and Cedric and peered around the corner. She saw an upset Harry with his wand pointing at Bellatrix Lestrange. Mel stepped out between them, her wand lowered.

"Harry—," she began gently.

"SHE KILLED HIM! SHE KILLED SIRIUS!" he screamed, his voice cracking. His pain and anger was evident in his face, but she could not let him do torture someone, or try to. It was not him. She walked over to Harry, but kept her eyes on Bellatrix. Cedric followed her movements, but remained closer to the wall. She was only a few feet away when a blast knocked them all to the ground.

The blast destroyed part of the floor, causing dust and rubble to surround them. The dust also caused them all to cough. Mel squinted through the haze. At first, she could only see the outline of a man. As the dust settled, the figure became clear: It was Sean.

Cedric was the first to react. He was on his feet in seconds, standing between her and Sean and pointing his wand at the center of Sean's chest. Harry was almost as fast as Cedric, and made to help her up. In her peripheral vision she could see Bellatrix dancing around and could make out the sounds of laughter and taunts through her muted hearing. Before Mel could regain her balance, Sean had attacked and knocked out Cedric with one spell.

Mel felt as if her heart had dropped into her stomach and was sure she stopped breathing. After a few long seconds, she the rise and fall of Cedric's chest. Harry was trying to drag her away, but she pulled away from him and shot a curse at Sean, who was laughing coldly. He saw it at the last possible second and deflected it.

"You're going to lose," he said smugly. "You'll lose Diggory, who should already be dead. You'll fail Potter, and then you'll die."

"Funny, I thought I was the one with the Sight," she said, her even-toned voice sounding foreign to her. She could sense Harry's nervousness. He was behind her and kept tugging on the hem of shirt. She ignored him, as she realized she was about to do exactly what Harry had wanted to do to Bellatrix. She tried to tell herself that this was different. Sean was here because she was here. He had no purpose, but to cause pain. She had to stop him; that's why she had committed the spell to memory. It would stop him from causing more pain in this world, at least direct pain.

"_Relinquere_," she said, her voice strong and firm. A blinding yellow light erupted from her wand and shot toward Sean. He tried a shield charm, but it was too weak for her spell. He exploded into pieces of light when it him. However, she felt a burning pain in eyes as he exploded. The pain was so great she stumbled backward and tripped over some rubble. Harry barely caught her in time. She grabbed her face and felt a something warm and wet streaming from her eyes. She could hear screaming, but could not hear in words. There was another burning pain, but this one was stronger and passed through her whole body, causing her to black out.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

**A/N: Dear loyal readers, it's been a shitty, crazy summer and I'm sorry for the delay (again!). I worked two jobs and was taking six credit hours of classes. In addition, I had a family member pass away unexpectedly. I just haven't felt like writing because of all these things. When I did finally feel like writing again, my mood was more suited for a different story. I will try to have the next and final chapter up within the month of August. I promise it will be longer than this and will bring this story to a nice close. Again, I appreciate your patience and support.**

** Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.**

Her head hurt. That was the first thing Mel noticed when regained unconsciousness. She didn't think she had ever been in so much pain. She repressed a groan and slowly opened her eyes to see where she was, though she suspected the hospital wing at Hogwarts. It was pitch black; she couldn't see a thing. Was it night? She could swear she felt the warmth from the sun on her skin. She realized something was wrapped around her head, covering her eyes. She reached up to try and remove it, but two hands stopped her.

"Madam Pomfrey doesn't want you to remove that just yet," a gentle, deep voice said.

Mel's brain was moving slower than normal. It took her a few minutes to identify the voice. "Cedric? What's going on? Why is it so dark?"

She heard him sigh and felt him sit next her, his hands still holding hers. "It's…it's not dark. It's the middle of the day. You…you don't see any light?"

"No," she said, panic swelling in her chest. "What's going on?"

He heard the fear in her voice, pulled her closer, and wrapped an arm around her. "It's alright," he whispered soothingly. "It's ok."

"Cedric, what's—"

"You're blind," he said. "Dumbledore thinks it has something to do with the spell you used on Petrov. He's dead, by the way."

"Well, his human self is. You can't really kill Pain, just prevent it from ever resuming human form. I bet this is some form of punishment: Sight with no sight," her voice broke as the tears began to fall. Cedric just held her tighter, knowing there was nothing he could really say. "How am I supposed to help Harry now? How can do any magic?"

"We'll figure it all out, I promise," Cedric said, utterly lost on how they would figure it out. "Harry has two more years of school, I think others will help watch out form him, as they always have. It could be that you only lost your physical sight, and will still be able to help him with visions. Right now, we just need to focus on you and helping you adjust."

She laughed doubtfully. "You sound so confident."

He was glad he did because he wasn't. But he knew he would help her through this just as she had helped him through the last year.

"Harry's been in here everyday, checking on everyone. He's blaming himself for everyone's injuries."

"He shouldn't," she sighed. "No one forced us to help him. Everyone made their own decision."

"Sirius—"

"I know," she said, her voice shaking with emotions she did not want to deal with right now.

"How? Did you have a vision?"

"No, I just…I can just feel it."

They sat in silence for several minutes, each thinking about what was to come. It was only when they heard voices coming from the outside corridor that Cedric disentangled himself from Mel.

"That'll be Harry," he said, looking at his watch. "I think he needs to talk to you. I'll be back in an hour or so," he said before leaning down to kiss her.

"Well, you can still do that," he teased.

She smiled. "Just go and don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"Yeah…I'll see you in a bit. Love you."

"Love you too."


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

**A/N: As promised I have finished this story within the month! I hope this ending is satisfying. I like it and this is how I have always planned on ending it. Thanks to everyone who has read this story and thank you for the reviews, I appreciate both. I am working on another cedric/oc story, unrelated to this, but it is untitled and I would like to have more chapters completed before I start posting. If you are interested in reading more from me, either send me a PM and I will notify you when the next story is up or you can add me to your author alert list. Thanks again!**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.**

Willow and Holly ran giggling through the living room and kitchen, their mother calling for them to calm down and come to dinner. She was busy putting their baby brother into his highchair. It was only when her voice became stern that the sisters took their spots at the round dinner table. Their mother filled their plates and took a moment to look at her three children.

Though Willow was seven and Holly was five, they could have been twins. The only physical differences between them were their height and eye color: Willow was taller and had grey eyes and Holly had her mother's light green color. Both girls were outgoing, inquisitive, and mischievous when they were together. When they were apart, Holly was quieter and more timid. However, since they were rarely apart at home, there was hardly ever a dull moment.

Her baby boy, Rowan, was only seven months old. He was a sweet and quiet baby, though he was always moving. She reckoned she would be chasing him around just as much as the girls, if not more, when he learned to walk. She leaned over and pushed his bowl of food back to the center of his tray. She letting him try and feed himself as she ate some of her dinner while it was hot, but he was really just making mess.

She liked to just stop and take time to look at her children. She would memorize their expressions, features and mannerisms. She chalked it up to wanting to always be able to see her children in someway, even if something happened again. Though, she reckoned many mothers did the same thing from time to time.

They heard the fireplace crackle loudly and there was glow of green light that leaked from the living room into the dining room. Before she could stop them, the girls were running to meet their father.

"Daddy!" they yelled in unison.

She heard her husband's deep chuckle and her daughters' squeals as he picked them up into a bear hug and spun them around. Rowan was staring off into the direction his sisters had run and was kicking his feet excitedly. Her husband walked into the dining the room, a girl in each arm. They were both talking non-stop, making it impossible to understand what either was saying. Their father smiled and nodded as he plopped them into their seats.

"Busy day?" he asked his wife, walking over to her and placing a quick peck on her lips.

"Just the usual," she smiled.

XXX

Mel woke up feeling unusually groggy. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, trying to sort out what she had just seen.

She and Cedric had been living in an isolated cabin for the last year. In that time, she had been relearning how to cast spells, brew potions, and do everyday things. It had been a struggle at first—and still could be at times—but she had mastered almost all everyday tasks and her spell work was much improved. However, Cedric was still wary about letting her perform spells unsupervised: She sometimes broke or set fire to household objects on accident. Her vision had improved a bit too. Instead of seeing nothing, she could now she colored blurs. It wasn't ideal, but she was glad her punishment was being lifted, even if it was at an unbelievably slow pace.

Cedric had improved too. He still had bad days, but not nearly as often. Taking care of Mel had given him something else to think about. In the beginning, she had been totally reliant on him, more than she had ever been before. He had had to do so much that he began to feel useful again; he finally had something to do. Cedric wasn't just taking of Mel though; he was also working for the Order. He had taken up the job of translating ancient magic books. While he was looking for a way to heal Mel's eyes, he was also looking for spells that could be used to help the Order, and Harry, fight Voldemort. It wasn't easy work: the texts could take days to translate and the spells were often too dangerous to use.

Mel heard the door open and close. Cedric was home. He had gone to the nearby village to get them food and the mail. They were using the muggle post and village to blend in. Any unexplainable events or use of too much magic could draw the unwanted attention of the Death Eaters to them, and Mel, no matter her improvements, was in no condition to duel a group of Death Eaters.

"Hey," he said, kissing her cheek and sitting on the couch next to her. "How was nap?"

She smiled and leaned into him, her hand feeling down his arm to find his hand. Entwining their fingers she said, "It was good. I had a vision."

He tensed and she added, "It was a good vision."

"What's that like?" he asked, half-jokingly.

"I don't know if I should tell you," she teased.

"Then I don't know if I can read you Harry's letter."

She rolled her eyes and hit him playfully. "Fine, I'll tell you," she said, still smiling. "I saw a future where I can see, the visions are gone, and we have a family."

Cedric wrapped his arms around her. "Really?" he asked, his voice quiet and hopeful.

"Our babies were beautiful," she said quietly. "I don't know Cedric, it's like that vision was sent to help me. I've been so aimless this last year and then Dumbledore died…. I've just been having a hard time forcing myself to fight this war, but this vision, it reminded me what I have and what I want. Promise me that we'll work for that future."

"Promise," he said, kissing the side of her head.

"Thank you. Now, read me my brother's letter," she said in a pretend commanding tone. He chuckled and opened the letter.

"When will you stop bossing me around?"

"Probably never. I've become quiet good at it this last year."


End file.
